A Second Choice
by lackam
Summary: Elrond sails and discovers he has a second choice.
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Second Choice

Author: Amber

Type: FPS

Cast: Elrond

Rating: G

Beta: CGL

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: All characters owned by JRR Tolkien. I am just borrowing them for now.

Summary: Elrond sails to Aman, thinking he knows his fate.

"We will delay our choice for now, until Arwen's time comes," Elrohir told his father.

Elrond stood, saying nothing, for he already knew what their final choice would be. Having the gift of foresight was indeed as much a curse as it was a blessing. Elladan stood off to the side and watched his brother, refusing to look at his father. His mind was already made but he would not force his brother's choice. Nor did he wish to cause his father further pain. He hoped that healing in Aman would enable his father to accept the choice they would make when the time came. While Elrohir was still undecided, Elladan knew that they would choose the same. They were too close to choose differently. When his father made no argument, the twins turned to leave.

"A word please, Elladan," Elrond said.

Elladan nodded to his twin. "I will meet you in our rooms," he said, "set my silver tunic and blue robes out for dinner." He turned to his father.

"Do not rush your brother with his choice. When the time comes, he will choose as you do," Elrond told him.

"So you know," Elladan stated.

"I have always known," Elrond told his son with a look of extreme sadness in his eyes.

Then Elladan asked the questions he had always wondered. "Why do you accept this? My whole life I have heard about the hardships and losses you have endured. How do you go on without fading, just watching as time and time again you are made to suffer? You are the kindest person I know, but you seem to be cursed with misfortune."

Elrond answered the only way he could. "It is what the one, Eru, asks of me. I have come to believe that some are created to suffer, so that others do not have to. I am one of these."

"Will you finally find peace in Aman, with mother?" Elladan asked.

"I can only hope," Elrond said to his son, for he could not bring himself to tell Elladan what he already knew. "Know that I will always love you and want nothing more than that you and your siblings find happiness," he said as he embraced his son. "Enough of this; your sister will have our heads if we are late for dinner. Go and make yourself ready."

He embraced his sons one final time before boarding the ship. "You have our letters to mother, right?" Elrohir asked.

"Of course my sons," Elrond said, "she will know of your love for her. I must go; the others are waiting. Remember that I love you and always will. Be well, and may Eru bless you." With a final hug, he boarded and walked to the back of the ship. He would watch his sons for as long as he could see, then grieve for them quietly in his room.

Erestor and Glorfindel both came and stood with him, saying nothing. They had been his friends for the last age and understood.

Then Galadriel came, "Elrond, why did you not tell them the truth?"

He saw the confused looks on Erestor and Glorfindel's faces. He sighed before answering, "I would not guilt them into changing their choice. They deserve their chance at happiness. Not knowing the truth will cause them less harm and pain. I would not have them choose between their mother and me."

"Elrond?" asked Erestor, not understanding.

Looking at the deck of the ship Elrond answered, "Celebrian did not just go to Aman to heal. She went to meet and bond with another she loved. I will be going to Mando's' Halls after being judged in the ring of doom." Not wanting to answer any more questions, he retired to his room.

Later that night on deck, Glorfindel approached Mithrandir. "Did you know of Celebrian's bonding?" he asked.

Mithrandir was silent for a while before answering. "Not all is as it seems. You more than most understand that, my friend. Elrond's destiny is not with her."

Glorfindel wanted to ask more, but suspected his questions would not be answered. The two spent the night in silence on the deck.

Elrond spent the next several of days avoiding people. Word of his fate had quickly spread among the others on board. Every time he left his room, he was approached. Sometimes they questioned his fate, other times they just showed their support. It came as a relief to know that Cirdan had limited who was on board the Ring Bearers' ship. Most respected his privacy. Even Bilbo and Frodo did not intrude much in this sensitive area. He had passed his sons' letters on to their grandmother to ensure their delivery to Celebrían. He knew he would not be seeing her upon his arrival in Aman.

As the days passed, he began to feel weak. His body began to ache and he did not sleep. At first, he thought he might be fading, but his symptoms did not match. The closer they came to Aman, the more he hurt.

He spent his days sunning himself on deck and enjoying the company of his friends. He knew not what to expect in the Halls of Mandos, but conversations with Glorfindel did not make things sound promising. When lunch was called, he stood and stretched. Sudden sharp pains lanced through his body and head. Glorfindel caught him as he collapsed. Galadriel rushed to his side and held his head in her lap. "Hang on my son," she told him as Erestor called Mithrandir for help. "What is wrong with him, Mithrandir? Why does my son suffer with these pains?"

After quickly looking over Elrond to confirm his suspicions, all Mithrandir would say was, "It has begun." Everyone looked at each other in confusion, but knew no answers would be forthcoming.

As the swan ship drew closer to Aman, Elrond's pain increased. He did not leave his cabin anymore, and someone was with him at all times. The seas rose and rain pelted the ship now, but Elrond did not notice. His whole being felt as if it were being torn apart. Mithrandir came one afternoon and sat with him to give the others rest. After a time of silence, Elrond asked, "What causes this pain, Mithrandir? Am I to die and go to the Halls without ever seeing the shores of Aman? I can see in your eyes that you know what is happening to me; please tell me."

The answer he received was not what he expected. "The answer to your questions, and pain, lies in your blood. Think on all you know about your heritage. It is not my place to tell you what is happening." Then Mithrandir fell silent.

Elrond spent the hours thinking on what was said, but could not make sense of what he had been told. The answer was in his blood, and somehow this caused his pain. His blood. His half human, half Elf blood….His half human, half Elf… Then it struck him. He was not half human and half Elf. His blood also was Maia. It was what gave him his healing abilities. Could this be the answer? But how would this affect him now?

Then Elrond heard the shouts. The rain was pulling back. "Mithrandir please, I wish to be on deck with the others when we pass the curtain."

Glorfindel was called to carry Elrond to the deck and hold him by the rail. As they passed through the curtain, a bright blue sky awaited. In the distance they could see the blue outline of land. "Do you see it Elrond?" a smiling Glorfindel asked. "It is home." He felt Elrond slump forward. As he looked down to check Elrond, he froze. "Mithrandir, come quick!" he shouted. "He is unresponsive." As he lay Elrond down on the deck, the others surrounded them.

After checking him over, Mithrandir murmured, "This is wrong, it is happening too fast." He dashed to the rail and called, "Ossie, quickly. We cannot wait for the ship to dock, you must take Elrond. I will have Eonwe await you on the shore." The water Maia, who had been staying near the swan ship, took Elrond's still form from Glorfindel and quickly headed for shore.

"What is happening to my son-you know more than you are saying, Mithrandir?" Galadriel confronted him. "Where is he being taken?"

"He is fulfilling his destiny," was his reply. "He is being taken to the circle of doom where he will be presented with a choice much like the first choice he made. You forget that he is also descended from the Maiar. Coming to Aman has enhanced this section of his blood and it is tearing him apart."

"What will happen to him?" asked Erestor.

"He will have to make a choice," Mithrandir said, "Before, he chose the path of the firstborn over that of man. Now he must choose between remaining one of the firstborn or taking the path of the Maiar." Mithrandir said.

He was awakened by a figure he had not seen in two ages: Eonwe. "Awake and be judged," he was told. As he rose from the floor, he noticed that, while not totally gone, his pain had receded to a manageable level. Looking around, he saw that he was in a circle of marble, surrounded by thrones of pearl. Upon each was a Vala. At the head of the circle was Manwe, and beside him sat Varda. He approached and knelt before Manwe. He knew what sentence awaited him since Celebrian had remarried. He would be condemned to Namo's Halls under the Doom of Finwe. It only remained to be spoken.

"Elrond Peredhel, you are before us for judgment upon your actions in Middle-earth. Know you now that there is little to judge. The One asked much of you and you responded without complaint or blame, despite what it cost you. Eru is well pleased with you." With a slight smile on his face, Manwë stated, "I know what you are thinking, young one, but not all is as you think."

Elrond could only stand there with a confused look on his face. There were amused chuckles around him as the other Valar looked on. Manwe nodded to the dark haired Vala beside him. Namo rose and approached Elrond.

"The One severed your bond with Celebrian the hour of her rebonding. The Doom of Finwe does not await you. Another fate is presented to you in the form of a choice. Of those descended from Melian, all have passed beyond Arda except your mother and you. Elwing's fate is special do to circumstances you know well of and she lives the life of the firstborn as per her choice. While all of Melian's descendants have possessed the blood of the Maiar, in none other is it as strong as it runs in you. The pain you feel is your Maian blood responding to the song of Aman. Therefore a choice is presented to you. Live as a firstborn of Aman, or embrace your blood and become Maia. Choose now."

After blinking in surprise, Elrond thought on all he had been told. He had known instinctively what he would choose back in the first age, for there was really no choice involved. He had been an Elf. Now it was different, and he was unsure. Elrond decided to do what he had done so many times before. "I choose whatever path Eru wishes for me," he said. There were gasps and pleased smiles all around as he answered. Namo nodded and stepped back.

Manwë stood, "I now pronounce Eru's wish. In compliance with the wish of Eru, Elrond, you shall go to the Halls of Mandos for a period of thirty days for healing. At the end of this time, you will be rehoused as a Maia. You shall proceed then to the Gardens of Este where you will be given the time you shall need to adjust. The only limitation placed upon you is one you share with you kinswoman Melian. You will be limited in form to that you have now. Know that we rejoice in your choice. Go and take your place in the song."

As Manwë dismissed him, Elrond could only wonder at what would happen next. He felt a tug on his arm. "Come little brother, we must go; others approach to be judged."

As Elrond was escorted away, it dawned on him who would be approaching and how much time he had spent in the circle. "Can I not wait and assure my friends that all is well?" he asked. Eonwe assured him they would be told, and that now was not the time to meet them. He allowed himself to be led off. Off to start a new adventure and life.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: A Second Choice 2

Author: Amber

Cast: Elrond

Rating: G

Beta: CGL

Disclaimer: All characters owned by JRR Tolkien. I am just borrowing them for now.

Summary: Elrond sails to Aman, thinking he knows his fate.

Author's Notes: Definitely AU from here. Unsure of how often I can update but will try to keep it from being too long in between. Mando's

Halls Part I

Estë turned to Manwë and Namo asking, "Elrond has endured much and has a lot of pain to overcome; are you sure thirty days will give him the time he needs?"

"He did not use his ring to the same extent as the others," Manwë responded, "so his weariness, while carrying Meklor's taint of Arda, is not the same as what the others carry. After his first choice, I had Eönwë train him to use enough of his Maiarin heritage to draw what power he needed from Arda itself. Most of his wounds are personal and are the consequences of having no family to protect and guide him. These wounds will be healed as he contemplates his life and finds family here in Valinor."

Namo spoke, reminding her that time was relative in his Halls, and ensured her that Elrond would be given whatever time he needed before being released to her garden.

It was then that Varda spoke up. "He is a beautiful one, both in spirit and physically. The maidens will pursue him relentlessly. You should have warned him. With his past, he won't know how to handle the attention."

Again, Namo spoke up, "I have let it be known that my Halls are not open to them while Elrond is healing, and Vairë has spoken to her maidens about leaving him be until he is ready. They will not intrude on his healing time. When I feel he is ready, I will have him told. He will need the time to come to terms with the idea and possibly seek advice on what to do."

It was Oromë who spoke next. "Perhaps it would be better if we imposed limits on approaching him until his training is done. The maidens will be a distraction he does not need."

"That may be wise, but we will still have to deal with the disruption." Estë informed them. "Already they are trying to ingratiate themselves to Melian so that she can introduce and recommend them."

"The problem will become bigger than you now have." Manwë told the others with a twinkle in his eyes. "You forget that Glorfindel has also returned. When we sent him back to Arda he was much changed by Eru. He is more Maia than Elda now, and therefore an acceptable mate for the maidens. Soon they will realize they have two unattached males, not one, to peruse. This could be fun to watch if we don't let it cause too much trouble. May I remind you, they are both princes of the royal Elda houses. There will be many an elf mother seeking to match their daughters with them. The competition could become rather vicious."

"Estë, you will have to deal with this problem first." Namo told her. "Glorfindel will not need to come back into my Halls; his memories of being there after his death might even be detrimental. Elrond was able to heal him in many ways while he was still in Imladris. A soothing rest before he begins his confrontations should be all he needs. I agree with Oromë's idea, though. Let us train the two of them together while keeping the maidens of both kindreds away. Glorfindel is not as hesitant around females and can help Elrond in that respect."

"Is everyone in agreement then as to how we will handle this?" Manwë asked. After seeing that the other Vala agreed, he called for the Eldar waiting outside to come in and be judged.

Elrond followed Eönwë out of the circle of doom and up the hill until they came to the edge of a mound.

"We will wait here for the time being," said Eönwë.

Elrond sat on the edge of the mound and looked out at the beauty around him. This was his first real look at the land of Valinor; he had been unconscious on the trip to the circle. He marveled at what he saw, but at the same time found himself comparing it to the land he had called home. While the beauty was comparable, you could feel the peace of the land. He longed for his home but felt the pull to become one with the land here. He realized he was feeling the struggle of his fëa to accept the changes of his surroundings.

"Do not fight what you feel," Eönwë said as he came to sit beside him. "It is the same for all who come from Middle Earth. Your fëa has spent its whole life struggling to survive in a harsh environment. It feels unnatural to your fea not to have to be wary. Most fëar adjust to the feeling of peace within a few weeks. Your stay in Mandos will make your adjustment a little different."

"What is this mound?" Elrond asked.

"You are in the heart of Valinor." Eönwë said. " This is where the two trees stood. From here, their light could reach all of Valinor and across the Bay."

"What happens now?" Elrond asked. "I know I am to go the Namos, but what will happen?"

As Eönwë contemplated what to say, he looked at Elrond. He saw glimpses of the scared, wary youth who had stood before him after the fall of Morgoth. He smiled as he compared the one before him with that youth. He could see the exhaustion in his face, as well as the results of worry, frustration, and fear. If he looked closely enough, he could see the results of years of rejection and defeat. Elrond's life had not been an easy one, but the years of toil had produced a purity of the fëa that shined though. The gangly youth had matured into a beauty to rival his famed ancestor Luthien. His unique mixture of bloodlines had managed to combine in a way that brought out the best features from all of them. He was going to enjoy the chaos Elrond would cause when he was healed and became open for pursuit.

Elrond began to feel uncomfortable and self-conscious under the scrutiny. "What?" he asked.

Smiling as he answered, Eönwë told him, "Don't worry; your problems won't begin until later. First, Namo will take you with him when he returns to his halls. There you will be given the time you need to heal from the many hurts you hold. When you are deemed ready, you will awaken in Estë's garden. There you will be taught some basics of being a Maia. You have a healing talent gifted from Eru. Namo may keep you a while and teach you to help with the fëar in his halls."

"Problems…what problems?" Elrond inquired worriedly.

Eönwë would only smile at him as they waited.

Soon, Namo came from the Ring, and Mithrandir came with him. Three great eagles landed near them and patiently waited.

"Come, Elrond, Mithrandir said. We will take the scenic route to Mandos. I know you have always wanted to fly on the back of an eagle, and I have asked some friends to accommodate us." He showed Elrond how to mount and hold on so he wouldn't fall off. He gave a little half bow to Eönwë and then mounted himself.

Elrond was still a little shocked by the turn of events, and did not know what to make of this. As the eagles lifted off, he resolved to take in as much of the beautiful land as he could see. He realized that his pain was slowly receding as they flew west. After about two hours of trave, he began to become drowsy. He adjusted his seating and clung on as best as he could but realized sleep was overtaking him.

"Thorondor will not let you fall," Elrond heard Mithrandir say as the blackness of sleep overcame him." He knows what is occurring and considers it an honor to be carrying you. Rest now and let yourself sleep. It was decided that this way would make your transition into Namo's home easier. When you awaken, you will be in the Halls."

Elrond came to in a shaded room. He felt different, and knew that he had left his hröa behind. The exhaustion and weariness were also gone, as if he had slept a long time without a care. He felt Namo's presence as he came into the room.

Are there any personal effects upon your hröa that you would like to keep? He heard as a thought in his fëa. I have already taken the liberty of removing Vilya for you, Namo told him.

I was wearing a necklace that my children gifted me with when I left Middle-Earth. I would like to keep it if it is allowed, Elrond thought, wondering if he would keep this ability to converse between minds when he was rehoused.

Vairë said you would want that; is that all? Namo asked. I will hold these items for you until you are ready for them.

Yes, was Elrond's simple reply. He was being distracted by the murmur he could hear coming from the hallway. Who is that in the hallway? he asked.

You hear the murmur of other fëar, Namo told him. Those who will be rehoused spend much of their time alone, atoning for their actions in life and preparing for rebirth. As they near the time of rebirth, the fëar are moved into a communal hall to associate with others and resolve any lingering differences needed. Those whose fate is to never leave these Halls reside, alone, in a different section. When you are healed and ready, I will take you on a tour and explain how we work here. You can also spend some time with Vairë and her handmaidens before you leave. Namo told him. You have started to heal already. I let you sleep for a time. Rest and time is all that is needed to heal some hurts, for others there is reflection and penance. For now, I will escort you to a section reserved for the Maiar. As you heal and find peace, your fëa's strength will grow. We have found that a Maia's fëa overwhelms those of the firstborn, so I have a separate section for them. Also, the firstborns' fëa seem drawn to the Maiar's, and would prevent their healing if not separated. As you come near the time to leave, I will let you be among others.

Elrond followed as he was led to along a corridor. They came to a section that seemed far away from everywhere else.

This is the section reserved for the Maiar, Namo told him. You may move about on the right side of the hallway freely. Do not enter the left side. It houses the condemned spirits of the fallen Maiar. They will not take kindly to one such as you.

Is Sauron here in the halls then? he asked while looking at the door.

No. Namo said. Sauron's spirit was so caught up and meshed with the One Ring that when it was destroyed, Eru let his spirit be captured and taken into the void by Tulkas. You need not fear facing him again. You will not come into contact with any of the fallen Maiar here. They are not your concern.

Namo let Elrond into the room behind the golden door. What he found was a long corridor with windows down both sides. As he looked, he saw his life played out before him. Every smile, every feeling of doubt, every feeling of jealousy was laid out before him. Elrond realized that maybe he had more to reflect on than he realized. He had always known how to forgive and heal others, but never did he try to use his abilities on himself. Now as he gazed at his past, he realized that maybe his initial sentence of thirty days would not be enough. He had much with which to come to terms.

Stay and heal. I will return when the time is right, Namo said as he left.

Elrond turned toward the windows.

Nana, please come play with us. We will stay within sight of the sea.

Nana, don't leave us. Take us with you. Nana!

Ignore them Elros, they only laugh because they are jealous. They aren't worth playing with.

Hush brother, don't let them know that their looks bother you.

Why? Why are you leaving me?

Don't send me out again. Please let me stay for a while. I will stay out of sight. I won't make trouble for the King.

She won't notice me; my mixed blood makes me not good enough for her.

Why couldn't I save them? We were too late. Will they ever forgive me?

Why don't Celeborn and Galedrial leave? I built this place, it is my home, not theirs.

Why here? They will destroy everything. Why my beautiful home?

I know that I can't claim the kingship even though I am his heir. You don't have to remind me that you won't accept someone with mixed blood.

Yes, I will marry her, Celeborn. Even though she loves me not, I have always loved her. We need the alliance and I will treat her well.

She has left again for Lothlorien, Erestor. I know not how long she will be gone: years probably.

I am sorry. I could only heal your body.

Don't leave me; I love you.

Stay for a while, your ceaseless rage will only get you killed.

I may not have sired you, but I will always consider you my son.

The Ring can not stay here Mithrandir. We are not strong enough to fight this.

Are you sure of your choice, my daughter?

I have always known what choice the two of you would make, my son.

This is my home. I don't want to leave.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Mando's Halls Part II

Title: A Second Choice 3

Author: Amber

Type: FPS

Cast: Elrond

Rating: G (For Now)

Beta: Alex and CGL

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: All regular LOTR and Silmarillion characters are owned by JRR Tolkien, the others are my creations. I am just borrowing the master's characters for now.

Summary: Elrond sails to Aman, thinking he knows his fate.

Author's Notes: Definitely AU from here. Unsure of how often I can update but will try to keep it from being too long in between.

Mind Speaking

Mandos' Halls Part II

Time had no meaning here. Elrond could not tell how long he had been reliving and contemplating his life, healing from the wounds caused by himself and others. He knew that some issues could not really be addressed. He would have to accept them as they were; to forgive and move on. It wasn't easy. He better understood Glorfindel's references to loneliness and fear now. Reviewing your life was scary, no one to blame for the mistakes but yourself. No one to lie to, or hide from. Accepting and changing was even harder. To be interrupted was to look for a way out, therefore the loneliness. Elrond was surprised when the door opened and another entered. Námo came to him and looked into his fëa.

You have done well, my child, now rest. Not all can or will be resolved here and now. Let yourself feel the healing hand of Eru upon your fëa. As Námo left him alone again, the corridor went dark and Elrond drifted in what was almost a healing sleep.

Sometime later, Námo returned.

Come child, we will talk. What have you learned in your time here? he asked as they traveled the pathways of the Halls.

I see that not all that was done to me was done on purpose, Elrond responded. Sometimes simple fear, or ignorance, was the cause. I see that much of my life was of my own making and that I sought to place the blame on others rather than admit my own folly. I became too sensitive of other's perceptions rather than accepting what was or is. I see that when I tried my best but it was not enough, what happened was meant to be.

You have learned and reconciled much. Námo told him. Now we come to a part of the healing that involves confronting others. Giving and receiving forgiveness for past actions can heal where nothing else works. It also allows you to comprehend how others perceive you sometimes giving you a better understanding as to others actions. If they have not been reborn, I can arrange for this. Is there any you would like to speak with while you are here?

Elrond was silent for a while as he considered the request. Hesitantly he said, I wish to speak with Maedhros and Maglor if they are here. Also Ereinion, if he is still here.

Maglor still roams the shores of Middle-earth, but I will arrange for you to speak with the others, was Námo's response. There are some, who have heard you are in the Halls, who wish to speak with you. Meeting with them would soothe you more and help with their healing. Are you willing to do this? When Elrond consented, Námo continued. It is one of the ways healing is brought about here. Some wounds can never be healed, but forgiveness being granted does much to soothe and heal many. It is one of the primary jobs that we do here and in Estë's Garden. This is mostly what you will be doing in Estë's garden when you are released from here.

Coming to the end of a corridor, Elrond was led thru a set of double doors that seemed to be made of pearl. The Maiar section has a common area that is a gathering place for some when they wish to exchange ideas or relax. It is time for you to be among your brethren. There are others waiting here who would like to meet you and could answer questions for you.

Elrond was led into a wide area that resembled a courtyard. There were trees surrounding a grassy area; benches were grouped together in several different places to accommodate different gatherings. In the middle of the courtyard stood a large, white marble fountain. The sound of running water immediately soothed Elrond's soul, reminding him of his former home. Seated on the ground beside the fountain, Olórin was conversing with four others.

I leave him in your capable hands, Olórin, Námo said after escorting Elrond to the group.

Come, Elrond, let us talk. But first, let us see you. Olórin said. Follow my voice and come before me. Good, now, envision yourself as you were in Middle Earth. Take that image and project it onto yourself.

Until this time, even though he knew he didn't have a hröa, Elrond hadn't thought about the fact that he wasn't visible. In the courtyard, most of the Maiar had bodies, although somehow he knew that there were others present but not visible. Elrond began to realize that they had taken these forms for his benefit. Elrond tried to do as Olórin had requested. He found that he could project himself but only in shadow. He tried again and found that everything was becoming clearer. Looking down, he saw that he had a body. It was not solid, but it was there. He was amazed and laughed in delight.

Olórin smiled as he said, That was your first lesson. You will find that even though you are restricted to one shape, that of your birth hröa, you will need to know this skill. Let us see how long you can keep this form before you fade. We are not locked into a singular form as you will be. We are assigned a gender by the creator so when we appear in Elven form, we stay true to nature. This also holds true when we choose other forms, like animals. I have been told to tell you some of the limitations you will have and more importantly what you can do. Now let me introduce you to some of the others.

Elrond looked around. Four others were with Olórin beside the fountain. There were two other groups in various corners. One group was made up completely of females and they seemed to be studying him. Olórin just smiled at him when Elrond looked at him questioningly after noticing the actions of the females.

Eönwë and Radagast you know, but the others you have not met. This tall fellow with the gold hair is Lorloran, he is usually found in Oremë's forest. This beauty is Eönwë's mate, Irmarë. She is one of Varda's handmaidens. That group of females looking your shadow over are some of Valries handmaidens; you will probable become well acquainted with them later. That group in the corner are some of Námo's assistants. As we talk, concentrate on how we each feel, not on how we look. This way you will learn to know us regardless of our form. The others know what we are teaching you and will not feel offended, Olórin told him.

Am I right in believing that there are others present? I seem to feel others. Elrond asked those around him.

Very good, Elrond. There are others here in spirit form. Some will want to test your abilities and some just do not wish to be disturbed at this time. They may introduce themselves at a later time, Eönwë said, smiling at him. He was surprised that Elrond had asked about these first and was impressed with Elrond's strength in that he even felt them.

Elrond nodded greetings and tried to feel the others. He realized that it was not as hard as he thought. He already knew what Olórin, Radagast, and Eönwë felt like. He realized that he already had identified the others in this group the same way. Being without a hröa had enhanced his inborn ability to sense others. He tried to feel the others. It was harder but soon he believed that he could identify most of the others. The ladies giggled as they felt him feel them. Elrond began to understand that their feel also told him much about each individual such as their gender, occupation, and feelings.

You used this ability while in Middle-earth to sense the evil or truth in a person. It is the same skill, only enhanced and used in a different way. We Maia use our other senses more than the visual sense that the firstborn rely on primarily, Eönwë told him. We are designed to feel out information from Eru's song, interpret it, and ten use it for the good of all. Doing this will become second nature to you with time. You are a gifted minstrel also, which will enable you to add or change the song in minor ways as allowed when others cannot.

As Elrond sat and relaxed, he realized that he felt different. He had not noticed it before because he was alone. Now, around others, the differences were making themselves known. He felt stronger and lighter in spirit than he had ever felt before. He became so lost in identifying the various changes that he did not notice the smiles of the others.

He is like an elf ling discovering the world, Radagast said.

Give him some time. It is quite a change for him, said Irmarë. She smiled at the look of wonderment on Elrond's face. The silence of the others slowly pressed in on Elrond until he looked up in guilt. He felt like a child again, learning that he could do something new.

Forgive me, Elrond apologized, I became lost identifying the changes. I will try not to let it happen again. Elrond heard the giggles from the ladies. He looked at the others questioningly. Am I doing something wrong?

As the group looked to Eönwë, he sighed. A fact known mostly by the Ainur only is that when Eru created us, he made even numbers of males and females so that all would have a mate. When we agreed to be bound to the circles of Arda, it was as pairs or at least an equal number of both genders. Most of those who followed Meklor were male. There are many unbound Maiar females here not to mention the lonely mates of those who went bad. You are very beautiful, and since Eru severed your bond with Celebrian, very available. Do not be surprised if the ladies start to actively pursue you as soon as you leave the Halls. Námo has forbidden most of them access here but once you are in Este's garden, you will be considered fair game.

The look of shock on Elrond's face was priceless and made them laugh.

You should not have been so blunt Eönwë, Olórin scolded him. He was not prepared for the thought of being mated again. Most of his life has been spent alone. His marriage was arranged and lonely. He does not know how to handle being sought out and wanted for anything other than his healing skills.

He will learn. It is better is be blunt than leave him unprepared for what we all know is coming. Even the Valar talk about who he will end up with, Eönwë said in his defense.

Who said I wanted a mate? Elrond said. There is too much going on in my life right now to even consider the idea.

Do not worry, Elrond, it is not as bad as he is making it sound, Olórin said calming him down. What you are not being told is that most of these maidens are already mate to those who turned bad. They will be reunited with their mates at the end if their mate repents of their fall from grace. They are only lonely and seek a little attention. You know how hard it is to be left lonely and should understand. Merely spending some friendly time with them is really all they seek. There are a handful that were not yet mated who are alone; these are the ones who will pursue you. Don't worry so much, you are not their only target.

At the puzzled look in Elrond's eyes, he continued, When Glorfindel was reborn, he was granted certain gifts by Eru that leave him more like the Maia. Now that he has returned to these lands, he is being gifted as you are. They will pursue him also.

Elrond turned to Eönwë and asked, How many Maiar are there?

"Originally, every Valar had ten. Meklor brought another twenty who answered to only him, for he was not one of those chosen by Iluvatar to inhabit the Circles of Arda. Meklor convinced forty of the original one hundred forty to follow him. These became the Barlogs, and Vampires. There are six, like Ungoliant, who have turned bad but did not follow Meklor directly. Many of those who have turned bad are on there own for now or their assumed hroas have been destroyed in the wars of the past. There are ten who roam the Mountains west of here that are experiencing what we call crises. They are turning bad but we still have hope of recovering them to Iluvatar's light like we did Ossë, Eönwë explained.

Most Maiar will never be seen by the first or second born. Some work unseen in Middle-earth but most at here in the Blessed Lands. Some will never take corpulent form to be seen while others only take form among their brothers and sisters. The highly sensitive of the Eldar will be able to feel some of us but most will never come into contact with the Eldar. Working with the Eldar requires skills that many of our kind have not learned. There are also Maiar assigned to look after the other races of Middle-earth. The first and second born are the concern of a group of Maiar who have the training to deal with them. Most of the other races of Middle-earth are small enough that a single Maiar is assigned to oversee their welfare. You will learn more further one in your training.

Slow down and relax Elrond. You have always been in a hurry to learn and understand everything around you. While commendable, some things should be learned slowly over a set time. You forget that your primary reason for being here in the Halls is to rest and heal, Olórin chided him.

Properly chastised, Elrond sat back and listened to the conversations going on around the courtyard. He realized that the Maiar had some of the same concerns as the Eldar. The major difference seemed to be in the way they approached and thought about life. While the Eldar lived in a context of life revolving around other Eldar, the Maiar live in a world revolved around the care of Arda as a whole. Elrond could see how this could bring misunderstandings between the two about. If a Maiar had not been properly trained in dealing with the firstborn, and spent considerable time among them learning and observing their ways, they would never understand how to interact properly with them. They would not understand the limitations just as the majority of the firstborn had not understood the second born. This misunderstanding would lead to contempt of the firstborn, whose pride would be wounded, leading to further problems. Elrond was gaining a new understanding of where the dynamics of Valinor stood. He began to see how the sundering of the elves of Aman was brought about by Meklor and his followers.

Elrond allowed himself to follow this train of thought for a while as he listened to the conversations going on around him. While he didn't show it, it unnerved him some that there were corrupted powers left out there to interfere. He had learned in Middle-earth just how gullible some could be and that was not even taking into consideration that those who had come from Middle-earth were tainted by Morgoth's stain. Strife was bound to appear between the elves as different groups tried to live together. There would be much upheaval in Aman. Elrond was afraid for the future.

He also contemplated what his and Glorfindel's place would be in Aman. What would they do after training? Would they be together or separated? They had been together for several millennia and had come to be close. In many ways, Glorfindel had replaced his missing twin. He had come to depend on Glorfindel being there and was not sure he could live without him there. He was not sure he wanted to.

Elrond, quit worrying. If you and Glorfindel both pass your test, you will be together whenever possible. That was the plan all along for those made at the same time are brother and sister. You both have felt the pull of kinship for years without knowing why. Now you know, Eönwë told him.

How did you know what I was thinking? Am I that transparent? Elrond wanted to know.

It was Lorloran who answered him.

As an elf, you were able to make your face and thoughts unreadable to most. Here, you are around stronger beings who can read your spirit at will. Your thoughts are exposed to us because you have not been taught to shield yourself. This is something we will teach you in the coming days for this will be important to your survival.

Elrond nodded in understanding then turned to Olórin.

What test is this you speak of? he asked.

Do not worry about this now. That it will come at the end of your training is all we can tell you. I have no worries that you will pass child, and remember that I have know you for years when I say this. Relax, answered Radagast.

So Elrond sat back and wondered what Glorfindel was going through. Was it as interesting as what he was doing?


	4. Chapter 4

Title: A Second Choice 4

Title: A Second Choice 4

Author: Amber

Type: FPS

Cast: Elrond

Rating: G (For Now)

Beta: Angel

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: All regular LOTR and Silmarillion characters are owned by JRR Tolkien, the others are my creations. I am just borrowing the master's characters for now.

Summary: Elrond sails to Aman, thinking he knows his fate.

Author's Notes: Definitely AU from here. Unsure of how often I can update but will try to keep it from being too long in between.

Mind Speaking

Part 4 Mando's Halls (cont)

Elrond listened as the others explained to him various abilities he would learn to master. From the corner of his eye he saw a silver haired ellith enter the courtyard. As she approached the group, Elrond studied her. Her hair was not the silver of the Sindar but a deeper metallic color that sparkled. She had eyes of purple that reminded him of lavender blossoms in the sunshine and a gentle smile that spoke of contentment. She stopped before Olórin and waited to be acknowledged.

Elrond, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Sellem, Námo's daughter. Olorin said.

My lady. Elrond said bowing from the waist.

I have heard much about you and am pleased to finally make your acquaintance. I have been sent to fetch you for my father. He awaits you in the hallway. Sellem replied. It is time for you to meet Maedhros.

Go Elrond; we will meet again before you leave these Halls. Olórin told him. By the way, it is Sellem you have to thank for teaching Glorfindel most of the pranks he passed on to the twins. I hear that the two of them were quite the terrors of the Halls before he was reborn. Dare I to say that it was their influence on each other that prompted Glorfindel's return instead of others.

Elrond began to look at Sellem in a totally new light for some of the pranks played by his twins had been truly daring, and frustrating. The knowledge that she was surely close to Glorfindel also tempered his reaction to her. There was something unsaid in Olorin's speech. He found her truly beautiful and wanted to know her better but would not stand in Glorfindel's way if he had feelings for her. Glorfindel being in love with her would explain his reluctance to engage in close friendships with females while he had resided in Middle Earth.

As they left the courtyard, Elrond engaged her in conversation.

So, you are the one I have to thank for the destruction of my house. Don't bother placing the blame on Glorfindel, I know him too well.

Sellem just smiled and laughed at him.

Did you truly mind that much? From watching you, I would believe you secretly loved the chance to change and redecorate things. You have the restlessness of the second born in you concerning some changes. I find it refreshing for the unchanging ness of the Eldar can become tedious and boring at times

Her response startled Elrond until he truly thought about it. Ilúvatar was constantly moving and changing something. Why should it be any different with his creations? The steadfastness of the Eldar seemed arrogant and stubborn when looked at that way. This realization within knowledge he had always accepted as an asset unsettled him. All of the problems of the Eldar could be traced to this root, this pride. Flaws in the flow of accepted life became glaring errors that all wanted erased. He looked at Sellem for confirmation of his thoughts, and for reassurance.

Your willingness to think through ideas will be your greatest asset, never forget that. If you cannot find your answer yourself seek the creator, Sellem hurriedly told him as they approached her father.

You have broken the rules Sellem, go to your mother and await me, Námo told her. Bowing to her father and Elrond, she left.

Do not ask for answers I cannot give you pen nith, Námo told him at his questioning gaze. Here pointed to a door and told Elrond, Enter and confront the past.

Beyond the door was an encompassing grayness. The room had few distinguishing parameters if indeed it had any. The door closed behind him and after taking a few steps he stopped and waited, not knowing what to expect. A shadow approached slowly from the right and stopped before him. While the shadow held no distinct features Elrond could sense the fëa. It was Maedhros.

You wished to speak with me child? Maedhros said in what was no more than a whisper.

Yes, said Elrond. Maedhros, I wanted to thank you and tell you that I do not hate you. I never have.

For what do you wish to thank me? a surprised Maedhros asked.

For many things. You let my brother and me live; for not abandoning us; for finally accepting us. I want to thank you for teaching me all that I learned while in your care and camps. You and Maglor both served as the father that I was missing. I have never been ashamed to acknowledge that I was raised by you. It is due to your teachings that I became the elf I did, Elrond told him.

Maedhros was quiet for a while as he digested what he had been told. What he was hearing was something he had never even imagined he would ever hear.

I have never told any before but I always considered you to be the son I knew I would never sire. Although my methods were harsh, I tried to teach you everything that I thought I would have taught a son of my own blood. One of the few prayers I offered to Ilúvatar was that you and your brother would not be tainted by your time with us, that you would not carry the stain of the oath. Can you ever forgive me for the harm I have done to you? Maedhros asked him.

I never blamed you, but if it helps you have my forgiveness. Adar, I love you Elrond cried.

Remember that I have always been proud of you and always will. Your actions in Middle-earth and here today are a blessing to me. Go in peace, my son. Maedhros said as he brushed against Elrond's forehead in the imitation of a kiss. Then Maedhros's shadow faded away.

Elrond walked in circles as he tried to bring his emotions under control again. He hadn't known what to expect from his meeting but it definitely had not been this. He felt joy, sorrow, and a feeling of peace, all at once.

As he thought about what had just happened, he truly began to understand the wisdom behind the meetings of resolution. Damages to the fëa could be repaired as well as forgiveness given. This was a way of nourishing a soul so that it could grow. This technique of interactions between fëa brought home the idea that a being is not meant to be alone. It made Elrond realize just how bereft his own life had been and made him thankful for the friends he had made in his lifetime regardless of race.

Always thinking, even here in the Halls you spend your time thinking. It is this trait of yours that made the rest of us envy you, you know. You could think through any problem given enough time and resources. We hated you for it and went out of our way to interfere any way we could. Too bad our tactics don't seem to have worked. Or maybe they did work, just not within our timelines. You are in the Halls after all, the shadow said.

Who are you? Elrond asked. He was a little unnerved that he had been so deep in thought that he hadn't felt the other fëa's approach.

Well, I guess my plan to keep you out of Lindon and from getting to know anyone worked a little bit, the shadow spat at him.

Carmal. It surprises me that you would want to speak with me, or did you just come here to gloat? Elrond asked trying his best to be civil.

I didn't come specifically to speak with you but for information, something of which you seem to always have despite my best efforts. Tell me if the rumors are true? We hear that Ilúvatar has granted Maia status to two of the firstborn, both of royal blood. Well? Carmal said to him in his haughty attitude.

Why do you hate me so much? I have done nothing to you. Elrond responded.

Don't mess with me you half-breed mongrel, answer my question, demanded Carmal.

Not this time Carmal. If you want me to tell you what you seek you will answer my questions first, although you have already inadvertently answered one already, Elrond demanded. I have never been a threat to you but you have hated me from the beginning, why?

You are right in that you were not a threat to me, but it was not myself I was protecting. I was protecting my king, Gil-galad, from you taking his throne. Eönwë made your brother a king of men; I figured that it was just a matter of time before you tried to claim the title of high king for yourself. You would have guilted the survivors of Doriath, The Sirions, and Gondolin into supporting you and I did what it took to stop you. You have no right to the kingship. As far as I am concerned, you have no right to exist. You are nothing but a weak mix of races that were never meant to be mixed, Carmal snarled at Elrond.

Elrond struggled to maintain his control as Carmal had always been able to provoke him with ease. After several calming deep breathes Elrond trusted himself enough to reply.

I was never a threat to Ereinion you fool. If you had but asked, instead of thinking you knew everything, I would have told you that I was no threat. Eönwë had told me I would never be a king and that I accepted that. While the Second-born were content to accept a king of mixed blood, I knew that the First-born were too proud to ever consider me. I still consider it a small miracle that naming me his heir did not cost Ereinion his throne. What you never understood was that I did not want to be king. As for my right to exist, I find it rather sad that you think you know better than Ilúvatar. It was he who saw to the creation of the Peredhil. It was he who decided what our individual fates would be. You can envy what I have accomplished, what I have become, but you have no right to judge whether I should exist. You are a blind fool. Even here in the halls you refuse to see the errors of your actions. I will not satisfy your need for information. Your days of using me are over Carmal. Leave me and go meditate on your actions. You are in dire need of self-reflection.

Elrond turned away and said a silent prayer of thanks for being able to maintain his control, as well as asking for forgiveness for his words. Elrond lost track of time as he met with others to resolve differences. Sometimes those who came to him just wanted to thank him for services rendered to them or their families. It was these fëa that Elrond enjoyed being with the most. His meeting with Ereinion went very well and he would not be surprised to find them becoming friends upon both of their releases. Oropher had even paid him a visit to resolve differences Elrond had not even been aware of. It was only when Námo came to retrieve him that Elrond began to realize how mentally tired this time for him had been.

Come little one, it was time you rested. Meditate on all you have learned here and we will talk later about it if needs be, the Vala said as he led Elrond back to his corridor. Olórin will come to take you to the courtyard when you are ready.

Elrond followed quietly already half in a meditative state. When they arrive at his door, Námo turned and stared at him as if assessing his wellbeing.

Elrond, there is another pain I must inflict on you and I deem it better that it be done here than waiting until you go to the Gardens. I wish it were otherwise but you must know, your reunion with your parents will not be what you have waited all these years for, he told Elrond.

As Námo saw the surprise, acceptance, and then the hurt and rejection flare in Elrond's fëa he hurried to explain to him the circumstances.

You must understand little one, your father let your mother choose his fate for him to avoid hurting her, rather than follow his own heart. He made this decision out of love. Ilúvater knew this would happen so he provided your father with a way to deal with this choice. By agreeing to sail the night sky in his ship, he agreed to accept a further change. In order to endure the flights, your father was transformed into a being that is more spiritual than normal. In this transformation much of what made him your father was lost. He knows you as a child he sired before coming to Aman but cannot conceive of what being your father would be.

And what of my mother? You said parents as in meaning both of them, Elrond barely managed to asked.

You have heard the story of how Ulmo transformed her into a bird to escape the son's of Feanor. I am also sure you have heard the stories of how she uses this form to greet your father every day. It has become her preferred form as she uses its limitations as a penitence for the choice she made of your father's fate. It is rare now that she assumes the hroä of an ellith. The result of her extended time as a sea bird has resulted in her views of many things matching that of the birds she flies with. She also does not leave the tower built for her in the north and very few visitors are allowed. She may grant you a visit out of curiosity but do not expect much. There is little room in her or your father's lives for any other that each other, Námo told him.

Did my brother, Elros, know any of this or did it happen after he died? Elrond asked not really sure he wanted the answer at this point. When Námo was hesitant in answering, Elrond new there was more news he would not like.

Just tell me, he finally said to the Vala believing that whatever he was told now could not possible hurt him any worse.

Námo signed knowing he was about to cause more pain but he also knew it could not be avoided. Elrond would seek out the tapestries Vairë had woven about his brother's life before he left these Halls. What was weaved in those tapestries would leave Elrond feeling betrayed. It was better to tell Elrond than have him discover the truth on his own. Elrond's reaction to what he was about to learn would heavily determine his reactions during his later testing.

Your brother knew, Nämo finally said. You must remember that Númenórë was close to Aman when your brother took the people there from Arda Marred. It was a regular occurrence for the elves of Tol Eressëa to go there for trade and to help in any way they could in the early years. Your parents were both denied this opportunity due to their ban from setting foot in Middle-earth but found other ways to contact your brother. Elros would sail out in his ships and meet your mother at sea where she flew to him like a bird. They would spend weeks together. Your brother had his wedding at sea specifically so your mother could attend. She met all of his children and grandchildren. He became aware of changes in her due to her time spent as a bird before he died. As for your father, he was known to fly low over the island so that he could see your brother and his family. He met your brother on the open seas several times before sailing into the night sky. They came to know each other well before the changes affected your father too much.

Nämo could feel the anguish and deep pain gripping Elrond. He saw how Elrond was trying to hold it all in as he backed away from him.

Elrond. he called, listen to me. Let me help you deal with this.

No! Why? Tell me why. Why didn't Elros tell me? Is this the true reason why he would not let me visit? Did he seek to keep our parents to himself? Did he hate me so much for choosing differently than he? Why did my parents do this? What is wrong with me that nobody wants me? Why me? Why was I created to suffer so? Why am I hated so much? Elrond shouted at him before turning and going to the far end of his corridor.

Nämo knew following Elrond would prove worthless. He needed time to come to terms with what he had just learned. He needed time to sooth the pain. Elrond would not let any come close to him now. As he closed the door to Elrond's corridor, his sister Nienna comforted him with a hug.

I have cried many a tear over the injustices done to that little one. I pray to Ilúvatar that Elrond does not let his wisdom desert him. Given time, he will come thru this all the stronger if he can learn to let go. Neinna told her brother.

Are you all right? she asked him.

I am not use to causing pain. While I may pronounce doom on many, I do not actually cause the pain myself. This was a humbling experience. I am too used to numbing or healing others of their pain. It worries me that he will not let me help him. This has brought back many of the other hurts he had dealt with by revealing truths he did not known. It changes his perspective not only of others, but of himself. He will be much changed by this. If he can not learn to deal with this and refuses my help, he will not survive his tests. I fear for him, he told her.

You do not know his fate? Neinna asked Námo in surprise.

No I do not. It is hidden from me, he told her. Come, let us go and talk with Vairë, he said leading her away from Elrond's door.

Elrond spent quite a while hidden in his corridor. Olórin and Eönwë both visited him but he refused to talk to either of them. When he did finally emerge, he stayed to himself in a corner of the courtyard. When others approached, he left to avoid interacting with them. Then one day Olórin decided that he had had enough. Going up to Elrond, he stopped him from leaving to avoid a confrontation.

Elrond, enough of this. Stop acting like a child. We only want to help you, he said.

How can you help, Elrond shouted back as he tried to get away. You do not know what it is like to be rejected. How can you possibly help me?

You are right Elrond; we don't know what it is like. We were all created from Ilúvater's thought. We have no parents per say so we can not know what their rejection feels like. The only family we have is each other, as brothers and sisters. But this does not stop us from feeling your pain. We would all relieve you of this if we could, but know not how. Let us help you. Don't push us away. Others may not have cared for you as they should have, but we would like to. Let us become your family as you become one of us. I can not promise you that you will not be hurt again but we would like to try, Olórin pleaded with him.

Elrond just looked at him, and then tried to run away again. It was Eönwë who caught him in his arms and stopped him. Elrond struggled but could not get away. Finally he stopped and turning in Eönwë's arms broke down and began to cry. As he was held, Elrond felt the touch of others as they tried to comfort him. He did not know for how long he cried, but he did know that he was never alone.

Námo and Nienna watched from the doorway as the healing began. Maybe everything would turn out alright after all.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Part V: Transitions

Title: A Second Choice 5  
Author: Amber

Beta: Oli

Type: FPS, AU  
Rating: G  
Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel  
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tolkien unless otherwise noted. I make no money off this.  
Timeline: Fourth Age, Aman  
Summary: Elrond has a second choice that he shares with Glorfindel.

Part V: Transitions

Elrond emerged from his corridor after a time of contemplation. He refused to talk to any about Námo's revelations about his family. His time in Námo's halls proceeded to settled into a routine of self contemplation and learning. He would often be found in the courtyard questioning and learning from the other Maiar. He was an adept student who learned to master different tasks with little effort. At first wary of him, the other Maiar soon granted him their trust and were glad to teach him and guide his way. At first, Eönwë or Olórin would stay by his side to help him, and the others, with problems they might encounter in explaining or interpreting information. As time passed, Elrond soon learned to communicate and understand what he was shown and told. He was left alone with the other Maiar more and more as his guardians retreated and watched from a distance.

"He has progressed well. Soon he will be ready to leave these Halls and begin his physical training," Eönwë said to Olórin as he watched Elrond from across the courtyard.

"I have conferred with Namo. He says Elrond is as healed as he is going to become here. Elrond has learned to accept what cannot be changed and has dealt with most of the losses in his life. How he chooses to deal with the information about his family, only time will tell. I do not even think he knows how this will affect him. Amazingly, while he has not let go of his bitterness he has turned the pain over to Ilúvator. This is another example of his complete trust in the creator regardless of its consequences to himself. It is a task that many of our brothers and sisters have yet to conquer," Olórin replied.

"And has he acknowledged what will come?" Eönwë asked.

"Elrond knows that he will feel the death of his children, as he felt his brother's death. He will need to return for a while at that time to help him accept and deal with the loss but for now he is as prepared as he can be," Olórin replied.

"I am expected at court today. I will relay Námo's evaluation to Manwë," Eönwë told him.

"Good, Elrond is becoming restless. As I learned a long time ago, much to my detriment, a peredhil bored and restless is an ominous thing. They attract trouble with appalling ease when not kept busy," Olórin imparted to Eönwë.

Eönwë shook his head laughing as he looked at his friend. "You forget that I have spent time with them. That little one managed to stir up quite a few headaches with and without his brother in the camp after Melkor's banishment. Then I had to deal with him on our travels through Arda Marred afterwards, it is the only time I have actually seen Oromë and Tulkas want to harm one of the creator's children. Remind me to tell you the story one day."

"Be grateful you have not had the honor of meeting his sons. They are every inch their father all over again, and worse. I often wonder what made them choose the path they did when they are so like him. I fear that if not for the foresight granted by Ilúvator, Elrond would not have survived leaving Middle-earth without them," Olórin told him.

"The peredhil are truly amazing creatures. They are a perfect blending of the best qualities from both kindred. Throw in the blood of a Maiar and it enhances them even more. It is a shame that such a tragic fate was chosen for them," Eönwë said.

"Tragic yes, but every one of them made their mark in a dramatic way. Even the twins will be remembered as the utmost of warriors able to do what others could not. I wonder at the fact that of them all, exempting Elwing because of her circumstances at the time, only Elrond really wanted to choose to be numbered as one of the firstborn. It is almost as if he alone denied their true path. I know he was chosen specifically for his fate but sometimes it seems that he of all of them deserves the rest and reward of death that await the Second born. It actually gladdens my heart to see Elrond adjusting so well here among us. For the first time in his life, he finds that he is accepted without reservation because of his blood," said Olórin.

"It makes one wonder if he wasn't created for this eventuality from the first, and everything before was just tempering," commented Eönwë as he left the courtyard.

In court at Taniquetil:

Eönwë bowed before Manwë as he came into the hall.

"All is going well in the Halls?" questioned Manwë.

"Yes my lord. Olórin has conferred with Namo and has been told that Elrond is ready for release," Eönwë responded.

"Then return with a message for Namo. Tell Namo to let Elrond discover the Hall of Elflings. He is not to spend an extended time there, just long enough to evaluate his reactions and feelings. He is to be re-embodied in the Gardens the next morning," Manwë ordered. "Warn them that he will receive the shock of learning he has a brother in the Gardens. If Namo does not think he will respond well there, we will alter when the information is given. I feel that that information should come from his mother not us."

"She has agreed to see him in Lórien then?" Eönwë asked, knowing of her refusal at first.

"It has been arranged that they will meet by accident there. Namo has arranged for a constant escort around Elrond until his and Glorfindel's testing. Glorfindel also has an escort. The promoting of two to this status has attracted too much attention, both good and bad. It is best to be prepared."

"As you wish my lord," was Eönwë's response as he bowed and left.

Mando's Hall

Elrond was in his corridor contemplating all he had learned recently when Namo entered.

"Your time here is short, walk with me child," Namo said.

Elrond rose and followed Namo out the door and down the hallway. They wandered in peace for quite some time before Namo spoke.

"You have made progress quickly in my halls," he told Elrond.

"I have tried to learn all that they will teach me my lord. I still feel that there is so much more to learn," replied Elrond.

"Yes you have learned much but that was not of what I spoke," Namo told him. "You have finally learned to deal with your emotions instead of hiding from them. Have you finally learned to accept the fact that you are not an elf?"

Elrond was quiet as he thought about how to respond to this question. He had always known that he wasn't an elf no matter how much he wanted to be. That was why he had let his choice dictate his actions and life. It was with a peace he had not expected that he answered. "I have learned to accept that I am different and that I must strive to become what I am, not what I want to be."

"And what are you Elrond?" Namo asked.

"I am Peredhel. I have been granted the powers of a Maiar but I am still a Peredhil. It is what I am supposed to be," Elrond told him.

Namo smiled and nodded at him in agreement as he led him further down the hall.

"You are ready. When you wake tomorrow it will be under Este's care in the Gardens," Namo told him. "Come I have something I want you to give me an opinion on."

Namo led him to a section of the Halls that he had not seen before. This area appeared to be quite large but had a single small doorway for entrance. Unlike other areas, here stood four guards beside the door. Elrond hesitated to contemplate who or what behind the door could possible need guarding here. Elrond passed through the doorway behind Namo and stopped in shock at the noise level. Everywhere else he had been in the Halls had been quiet and peaceful. Sure, there were shrieks and noises that came from the condemned Maiar hall but most did not go near there and probably did not even know the hall existed. But here! Here was a hall/yard filled with noise. Once he had processed the noise he began to realize where he had heard such noises before. As the realization of what this place contained sank in, the shock drove Elrond to his knees.

"So many," he said to himself. "We failed so many."

"No Elrond," Namo grabbed him and shook him to gather his attention. "These are not your failures. These are the fëa of all the children lost over the ages; these are not your fault."

Elrond just kept looking around in shock before he broke free from Námo's grasp and ran back through the doorway. Two of the Mairan guards grabbed him as he came through the door. He struggled with them for several minutes before going limp and sinking to his knees.

"Why are they still here? They are the innocent, why have they not been reborn? Why are they being punished?" Elrond asked in confusion.

Namo knelt beside him and placed his hand on Elrond's head. A feeling of calm invaded Elrond's spirit as he regained his sense of self.

"Are they being punished if we keep them here for their own safety?" Namo inquired of him. "They are children, the most vulnerable. Their rebirth and release presents special problems that we have not addressed yet. Here they are safe to be the children they are without fear. We heal them when they first come here then release them into this hall until a later date. Here they find love and companionship with other children without the influence of prejudices and evil. Here the older ones are untaught the unhealthy lessons of their short lives and live as they were meant to live. Where is the wrong in this?"

"They are not meant to be here, they…" Elrond stopped as he tried to collect the thoughts swirling inside of him. "We are meant to be free until Arda's remaking. As long as they stay within your halls, they cannot fulfill the destinies they were born to. You are preventing them from Ilúvator's plan for them, changing their fates. If this is allowed to continue it will disrupt the flow of the song, disrupt the flow of fate. You must release them."

Namo listened to the unspoken message of Ilúvator in Elrond's disconnected plea. As he suspected, Elrond and Glorfindel were chosen not as a reward but as part of an elaborate plan to correct some of the evil done by Melkor. He also saw some of the many hardships ahead for the two and was saddened that more pain was to come. Placing his hand over Elrond's eyes he pushed him into a deep sleep.

Elrond first sensed a great amount of bright light. He tried to retreat from the light as he did not want to wake. There was comfort and peace in sleep that the light disrupted. The light brought reality and pain. He tried again to retreat to the calmness of Námo's Halls but it eluded him.

"Open you eyes, young one. It is time you were awake and became a part of the living word again," he heard a female voice say.

The voice was comforting and brought protection and Elrond felt compelled to obey it. He slowly cracked his eyes open giving himself time to adjust to the increasing light. A shadow passed between him and the source of the light and made the adjustment easier as the light's brightness decreased. Before him sat a beautiful Maiar, with black hair and silver eyes. He felt a connection with her and came to realize that this was his foremother, Melian. The one blocking the sun's brightness was a silver haired ellon with startling blue eyes who stood impressively tall. He could only assume that this was his forefather Thingol.

"It is good to see you awake, little one. Your brother awoke some time ago and has been asking for you. Now that you are awake, he can visit for a few minutes while you take some nourishment. Love, will you hand me that mug of broth?" she said turning to the silver haired ellon. "Go fetch his brother while I feed him, he will not be awake long."

Slowly she lifted Elrond's head and gave him small sips of the warm broth. When he was done with the cup, she cleaned his face and propped him up on the pillows some.

"You can see Glorfindel for a few minutes but then you must rest again. It will take you some time to become reacquainted with your body so do not rush it. When you are ready, your body will respond. Until then, I will remain near," Melian told him as Glorfindel came into the room.

"A short visit only young one," she admonished him. "Remember what it was like for you when you left the halls. It will be much the same for him."

Nodding, he sat in the chair she vacated and reached out to hold Elrond's hand. With his mind he reached out to Elrond.

'Can you hear me?' he inquired.

'Yes,' was all Elrond responded.

'We are brothers at last,' Glorfindel said to him.

'Yes we are. You did not tell me that my future sister-in-law was Námo's daughter. She sends her love,' Elrond told him with the shadow of a smile.

'That warms my heart to hear,' Glorfindel said with a silly smile upon his face. 'You must rest now, I will be near and we can talk more later. It will take you several weeks to become reacquainted with your body. If you don't fight it, it will go faster.'

"That is enough for now," Melian said as she noticed Elrond's eyes growing heavy. "Glorfindel, you need a nap also. You are going through changes too even though you did not journey to the Halls this time."

When Elrond awoke next he was better able to control himself. He had limited movement in his extremities but he could tell it was only temporary. With help he was able to hold himself upright when placed in a sitting position. Glorfindel came and kept him company when he had completed his chores for the day. He explained to Elrond the slow process of becoming in tune with himself but assured Elrond that he would regain all of his prior abilities. Elrond's great grandparents took care of him but requested that he hold his questions at bay, telling him to wait until he was more acquainted with himself and more self-sufficient.

Over the next week, Elrond regained his strength and abilities. He was up and walking around on the day that Eönwë and Olórin came to visit.

"Ah so you are up already, that is good," Eönwë said as he kissed and hugged Melian in greeting. Noticing Elrond's curious look and glance at Elwë, he laughed and told him, "I get to kiss her whenever I want, even your grandfather is not fool enough to keep me from my sister."

"Well there goes the family," Glorfindel said as he walked out of the house carrying a tray of drinks. Eönwë just laughed harder while Olórin just shook his head.

"So how are my favorite nephews today?" Olórin asked.

"Nephews?" Glorfindel asked in surprise.

"Yes nephews. You two have quite a family tree when you look at your lives. Ilúvator did not totally block out the family bond and that is why you two were drawn so to each other in Middle-Earth. But if you both think back, can you not agree that you both felt pulls toward Eönwë and I when we were near you?" Olórin continued.

"I do remember a pull, Glorfindel and I discussed it together once. That is when he confessed to having the same pull. If I follow through with this thought pattern, that means that Glorfindel and I were always meant to be Maiar. There really is no reward, this is what we were originally created to be," Elrond commented.

"But why then did we have to go through all the pain and suffering? Why not make us this way to begin with" Glorfindel wanted to know. It was clear that he was becoming upset over the idea that he and Elrond might not have had to suffer so in their lives.

"Shush little one," Elwë said as he took Glorfindel into his arms. Across the way, Eönwë was holding Elrond as he shook.

"Ilúvator does not reveal to us his plans but I can tell you two this with certainty. You two suffered what you did to make you who you are. All of your actions served to mould you and temper you into becoming the outstanding young men you are. Do not ever believe that you suffered for no reason. Ilúvator is not cruel and would not do that to another. We are responsible for our own actions and the consequences of those actions." Melian tried to explain to them.

"All of our extended family has wondered at the suffering that you two have endured in your lives, especially you Elrond. We have come to the conclusion that you two have been singled out for a task that will require great diplomacy but also an understanding of great suffering and pain. We know not what that task is but have all agreed to help you in whatever way we can," Eönwë told them. "Come drink and refresh yourselves. Enjoy the evening for tomorrow you will begin the next phase of your healing confrontations."

"No!" Elrond cried out. "No, I can't do that, not yet. I am not ready," he said as he tried to run away.

"It is okay Elrond," Eönwë whispered into his ear as he rocked him in an attempted to calm him down. "You will not be alone. I will stay by your side if you wish. I will protect you."

Olórin sent a silent warning to Eönwë not to promise that Elrond would not get hurt any more. They both knew that Elrond would have to face his parents and the rest of his family to heal and move on. He was bound to get hurt in these confrontations and would need help to get through them. They also knew that they would have to keep an eye on Glorfindel. He had gone still at Eönwë's pronouncement and also looked like he wanted to run.

"Come now; let us enjoy the rest of the evening. Boys, we have gifts for you," Elwë said to distract them as he handed Glorfindel a beautiful golden harp inlayed with silver. Next he handed Elrond an exceptional harp made of Mallorn wood and inlayed with gold.

"Elrond, while I know you have not regained the fine muscle control needed, I look forward to hearing you play. It is said that you learned to play from Maglor himself," Melian said as she brought a tray of light foods and placed it on the garden table.

"I received a limited amount of tutoring from him, mostly at Maedhros badgering. I think Maglor always resented that I have a gift for music while my twin did not. I know not how much you know about my upbringing, so you may not understand this," Elrond answered her inquiry.

"We know of the harshness of your upbringing and life. I was necessary for us to know so that we could help you make the transition into your new life," Elwë told him quietly. "We do not agree with what has happened to you and would make amends if we could."

"The fault lies not with you so there is nothing for you to amend. I am just glad that I have some family who accept me," Elrond replied.

"You have more family than you know who want you now, do not give the others the power over you by letting them hurt you. You are better than that," Glorfindel ensured Elrond as he brought him over a plate of food. "Eat, you need to keep up you strength until you are totally re-tuned to your body or the process takes longer.

The group spent the rest of the night sharing silly stories and listening to Glorfindel play his harp. Elrond fell asleep in Eönwë's arms as he watched the stars that night. It was not too much later when Glorfindel dozed off in Melain's arms. After putting their two charges to bed, the others returned to the garden.

"They are close, maybe too close," Eönwë remarked.

"They have been this way for years. In Imladris many thought they were a couple because they were always together. It was nothing to see them cuddled together before the fire in the Hall at night. They did not care who saw them including the visitors to the realm. Celeborn went so far as to confront them about their relationship one time when he was visiting his grandchildren. That was the night that Celeborn learned the truth about his daughter's relationship with another. I sometimes wonder if that was not the real reason for his decision in delaying to sail," Olórin told them.

"What kind of problems will this closeness cause them as they prepare for their trials?" Elwë asked the others. He was greatly concerned for his grandson. Elrond had had a hard life with few moments of joy interspersed. He would need to overcome much to heal and adjust.

"They will both have to learn to stand on their own again. They have become too dependant on one another. As it stands now, if we lose one it is likely we will lose both because the other will follow. I think we need to separate them and do it soon," Eönwë told them.

"Now is not the time to separate them no matter how much they need it," Melian told them. "They both will have a rough time in the next couple of weeks as they confront their pasts. They will heal better if they have one another to lean on during this time. Elrond especially will need Glorfindel. It will come as quite a shock to Elrond that his family does not want anything to do with him. Most of his family will not even acknowledge him."

"Who do they meet with first?" Eönwë asked.

"Celebrían has been selected as Elrond's first, Ecthelion will be Glorfindel's," came Melain's reply.

"Elrond will do well tomorrow, he and Celebrían settled much between them before she sailed. It is a good first choice for him. I am not so sure about Ecthelion. I am unsettled about this," Olórin said with a frown on his face.

"What unsettles you brother?" Eönwë inquired with concern.

"I know not. We will just have to wait and see," Olórin continued.

"Until later then. I must return to the palace for a short time but will try to be back before the boys begin," Eönwë told them as he disappeared into the night.

The others settled in to watch the stars as they contemplated what awaited them tomorrow.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Title: A Second Choice 6

Author: Amber

Beta: Oli  
Rating: PG  
Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel  
Disclaimer: I just borrow Tolkien's characters; I make no money off of them.  
Timeline: Fourth Age Aman  
Summary: Elrond discovers he has another choice.

Notes: Thank you to Fiondil for letting me borrow some of the ideas she used in _Elf Interrupted_ about Reborn Elves.

*Denotes mind talk.

Elrond woke the next morning to bright sunshine and the smell of fresh baked bread. Within minutes, Glorfindel was there pulling him out of the bed and pushing him toward the bath. When he was done, he put on the clothing left lying on the bed for him and preceded to the kitchen where everyone was waiting.

"Elrond, guess what we have for breakfast?" Glorfindel teased as he moved a covered dish closer to himself.

Sniffing gently, Elrond's eyes widened and he dove across the table to grab the bowl from Glorfindel. Glorfindel pulled the dish away, and laughing grabbed a spoon as he headed out the door for the garden with Elrond in hot pursuit.

Olórin shook his head and looked at Melian. "Cinnamon cherries I presume?" he asked.

At her affirmative nod he informed them," The cooks in Imladris learned to make two separate bowls and not bring them out until both were seated. Otherwise they would fight over them. It is quite a site to see two grown lords squabbling like children over food, it kept everyone entertained."

There was laughter all around as Melian called the 'boys' back into the kitchen to eat. Straightening their clothes around them as they ate, she made an interesting observation.

"You know, girls seem to not have this problem. I never had to straighten Luthien up at the table or before going out," she said. "This messiness must be a forte of males."

"It is," Elrond answered. "I never had this problem with Arwen. She just complained if she wasn't perfect or one of her brothers messed her up. As much as I loved her, she was much whinier about her appearance."

"You loved it," Glorfindel teased. "She had you wrapped around her little finger."

"I wasn't the only one," Elrond shot back.

"Alright children, settle down," Olórin said. "Elrond, you will have a fairly easy day I think. Celebrían has been chosen to face you first."

"Facing her is hardly needed Olórin," Elrond told him. "You know that we settled most things between us before she sailed."

"Now it is time for you to finish what is left. It will probable deal mostly with your children. Are you ready for this?" Olórin continued.

"As much as I dread this I know it has to be. I owe her that much," Elrond replied quietly as he finished his breakfast.

"Glorfindel, you will have a rougher day, you will be facing Ecthelion," Eönwé told him. "Someone will be near; you have only to call out if you need one of us."

Glorfindel did not look happy but nodding his head in understanding.

"When you are through, we will go," Melian said as she kissed her husband goodbye.

Elrond was taken toward a little pavilion a short distance away where Celebrían was waiting with an ellon he assumed was her new spouse. He could not see the face of the ellon because he was turned away but somehow he sensed that he knew him. He turned to look at Melian in question. Olórin appeared to be agitated and held him back from entering the clearing upon seeing the ellon.

"She was supposed to be alone, he should not be here yet," The Maiar growled to himself as he restrained Elrond.

"I know the one she married then from what you say. I have no problem with seeing them both. I only wish for Celebrían's happiness," Elrond said while trying to move past to the pavilion.

"You are not ready to face this one yet," Olórin said pulling him back and pushing him against a tree.

Elrond started to argue but all protest died when the ellon turned and he saw that it was Gil-Galad. Elrond promptly stilled before pulling away and walking back towards his grandparent's house. Melian intercepted him and pulled him into a comforting hug while Olórin went to confront Gil-galad.

"You should not be here boy," he told Gil-galad while blocking his path to Elrond. "You were told to come alone, Celebrían. There are reasons why your husband was not invited at this time."

"My wife will not be alone with any man, Mithrandir, especially him," Gil-galad said as he confronted him. "You have no right to expect that I would let her see him alone, she is my wife now, not his."

"You and Elrond will have your own confrontation in several weeks. This was to be a time when Elrond and Celebrían could talk about their children and end things between them. You have no part in this and should not interfere," Olórin snapped. "Use your head and remember what it was like when you were released from Mando's Halls. You know this must be done on an individual basis. You will get your chance to work things our between the two of you soon enough. If you are worried about him having designs on her, then stop; he knows it is over between them and has no wish to interfere. Celebrían and Elrond will never be left alone. I and Melian act as counselors and chaperones. Now go."

Gil-galad appeared to want to refuse but gave in when two more Maiar appeared and Celebrían began to plead with him. As she watched her husband go, Celebrían tried to repair the damage his presence had caused.

"Please forgive me; this was not supposed to happen. He said that he would only escort me here then leave but refused to go when we arrived. He is upset that I can have no more children. It would not be as bad if my children had chosen to be counted among the firstborn for he would have accepted them with time, but now he is angry that I bore children for Elrond but cannot for him. He blames Elrond for my injuries," she explained as she tried to fix the situation.

"You delude yourself Celebrían if you think he would ever accept my children as his own. He would have ended up hating me more than he already does, and resenting you in the end. Maybe, in time, you can adopt a child from Mando's hall. One whose parents are not in Aman to raise him," Elrond said from behind her. "I thought you were running away to marry a Lórien sweetheart, what happen? Or were you afraid to tell me the truth?"

"There was a reason I was betrothed to Gil-Galad besides political. It was my mother's idea to not tell you the truth about us," she said in her own defense as she turned to face him.

"Your mother knew of my feelings for you, that I really loved you. It was probably her misguided way of trying to protect us both and hoping something more could come of our marriage. Do not blame her for what you should have told me yourself. We would still have been married because it was needed politically to prevent war, but things would have been easier between us if I had known the truth," Elrond said as he took a seat at the table there.

"You are right, but I was confused, in pain, and afraid," she said as she sat across from him. "You have had to deal with these emotions all your life and knew what to do. I led a very sheltered childhood and had not encountered any of this. You forget that I was shielded from the fall of Eregion because mother and I had left for Lindon some time before. Only after the city fell did I realize that father had sent us away not for an educational family visit, but to safety."

"You are not totally to blame. Gil and I went out of our way to hide our dislike of each other from most people. We respected each other and acknowledged each other as family but we never learned to like each other. There was too much history between and around us to allow that. Now it is probably too late," Elrond conceded. "Anyway, I did not come here to talk of him but of our children."

After staring at him for a while to see if he was sincere, she hesitantly starting by asking questions of Arwen. Soon Celebrían and Elrond both settled down. After several hours of discourse, they were able to work out the remaining differences between themselves. While they may not have been the best of friends, there was no more animosity between them and there would be not problems if they met in social gatherings. Seeking refreshment after an exhausting session, Melian invited Celebrían back to her cabin for something light explaining that Ereinion would be told she would be home for dinner. They all headed in that direction greatly relieved to be through the ordeal.

Glorfindel was hesitant about going to his session and was stalling as long as he could. Finally, Eönwé had had enough and pushed him in the direction he needed to go. He was led to a secluded section of the forest to a clearing surrounded by trees. There were several benches set several feet apart from each other.

"This is where you hold confrontations that will not be congenial?" Glorfindel asked Eönwé as he looked around.

"It is better it have these meetings were they will not interrupt the peace of others in the gardens," Eönwé explained. Pointing to the left side of the clearing he continued. "There are two other Maiar, unseen, stationed nearby in case there is trouble. I will be in sight standing over there beside the trees."

Still uneasy, Glorfindel sat on one of the benches to wait. Soon he heard others approaching and turned to see Ecthelion being led into the clearing by one of Irmo's servants who was dismissed by Eönwé. He approached Glorfindel with a smile on his face and proceeded to try and hug him. Eönwé interfered as Glorfindel rose and backed away.

"You are brought here to talk and work things out between you, that is all. There will be no touching," he told Ecthelion as he pulled him over to one of the benches and made him sit. He then returned to the side of the clearing to wait.

"Why have you not contacted me, I have been eagerly awaiting for word from you. Are you so taxed from your return to Arda that you could not send word," Ecthelion began. He said this with a smile but one look into his eyes showed Glorfindel that he was in truth quite angry.

"You did not even say goodbye when you left the halls," Ecthelion accused when he saw that Glorfindel was stalling. "You would think that you at least could have left a message for your mate. Namo is not known to be so cruel as to deny you that right."

"I am not your mate, Ecthelion. Never will I wed you. Why do you not just accept the truth and leave me be?" Glorfindel exploded. He stood to pace behind his bench as he continued. "You could never accept my no, but it is time you do. I do not love you; I never have and never will. I love another."

"It's Him, isn't it? You saw him in Valië's tapestries and begged to go to Him. I saw you following his life. I will not let you go Glorfindel, you belong to me not Him. That is the way it will always be," Ecthelion said in a jealous rage before he turned and ran out of the clearing.

Glorfindel stood there a minute before what Ecthelion said made sense to him. He believed that Glorfindel loved Elrond. This would place Elrond in danger until he could make Ecthelion see the truth.

"We must return to the house," Glorfindel turned to Eonwe in a panic. "He will go after Elrond. He is jealous and will not listen to reason right now. We must stop him before he does something all will regret."

Glorfindel barely saw Eönwë's nod before he turned to follow Ecthelion into the woods.

Ecthelion ran blindly through the trees before stopping and leaning against a tree near a main path to think. As he was trying to decide what to do, he heard voices coming toward him down the pathway. Peaking around the tree to see who it was he became enraged when he saw Elrond walking beside a silver haired ellith. As a red haze overcame him, he pulled a knife hidden in his boot and charged.

Elrond looked up at a roar of rage to see a dark haired ellon charging him and Celebrían with a raised knife. Without thinking, he turned and pushed Celebrían from the path onto the ground. Then the ellon was on him. As he raised his hands to defend himself, he felt the knife enter his chest. Shocked, he stopped as the knife was pulled out and entered his chest a second time. Time slowed as he felt himself falling to the ground as Celebrían screamed in hysterics in the background.

Several things happened at once as Elrond fell. Eönwë appear from nowhere and proceeded to pick up the ellon and throw him, with much force, to the ground before beginning to pound on him. Gil-Galad appeared from behind them to pull Celebrían into his arms and try to calm her. Manwë, Oromë, Tulkas, and Estes appeared as Glorfindel ran out of the woods on the right side, from where the ellon had come, to gather Elrond in to his arms and try and stop the bleeding.

With a signal from his wrist, Manwë had Oromë and Tulkas grab and pull Eönwé off of Ecthelion. Estes had calmed Celebrían by putting her into a deep sleep. Several Maiar were called to hold Ecthelion. Turning to Elrond and Glorfindel, he evaluated what he should do. Namo appeared at his side and silently conferred with him.

"Help him, he is bleeding to death," Glorfindel pleaded as he wiped blood from Elrond's mouth. He tried to prop Elrond higher as blood flooded into his lungs.

At a nod from Manwë, Námo and Estë approached them.

"This lesson should have waited until you were further along in your training but we will guide you through it now," Námo told Glorfindel as Estë knelt beside them.

"You have watched and assisted Elrond heal wounded in Imladris many times, the principle is much the same," Estë began. "Use the song to gather your strength and I will guide and show you how you must heal. Pay attention to what you feel happening."

Glorfindel calmed himself and did as he was told. Placing her hand over his, Estë guided him through healing the more serious wound. She removed her hand and signaled that he was to try healing the other wound himself. Trying to gather more strength, he became agitated as he began to doubt his abilities. He shook his head as he could not bring the power to bear so that it would heal his brother. Suddenly he felt a calming influence overcome him as a gentle hand touched his shoulder from behind. Looking up, he saw Sellem and smiled. As she gave him a reassuring smile, he gathered himself to try again. Concentrating, he was able to slowly heal the smaller wound but found himself loosing consciousness afterward.

Námo waited until his daughter and Estë had lowered both Elrond and Glorfindel to the ground before pulling her away.

"You know you are not to be here, would you let your impatience ruin all?" he hissed at her in anger.

"I felt his fear and pain. I only meant to help," she responded in confusion.

Manwë intervened at this point to prevent everything from getting out of hand.

"There are reasons we keep you separated that have nothing to do with fatherly protectiveness," he said as he shot a glare at Námo. "There is danger here for you and for these young ones. Return to your father's Halls and do not leave them again until you are told it is safe to do so. What happened here today should show you that not all is as safe here as they believe."

Elrond had awakened enough to watch what was going on as Sellem nodded her understanding to Manwë then faded away. He watched as Estë placed her hands onto his chest and sent a healing burst into him. His breathing became easier as a result which he silently thanked her for. He turned his head enough to see that Glorfindel was lying beside him but a quick assessment through their bond ensured him of his brother's well being. Estë explained that he was just exhausted from the healing. Elrond looked at his brother in wonder as he contemplated that Glorfindel had actually helped heal him and saved his life. While knowing basic life saving techniques, Glorfindel generally only helped him by acting as an assistant and lending him his energy.

Looking around until he spotted the ellon that had attacked him, he saw him being pulled to his feet by two Maiar. As Manwë came before him, the ellon quaked in fear.

"You disappoint us Ecthelion, I fear that you needed more time in the Hall's before being reborn. As it is Ilúvator's choice as to who is released when, you shall not be returned there despite my wishes," he said as he scowled at the ellon's defiant look. "I am glad for Irmo's foresight in needing an area for those not ready to be in other's company. There you will be taken and there you shall stay until you see the errors of your ways and plead forgiveness."

Nodding to the two Maiar, they faded away with the Lord of the Fountain between them. Turning next to Eönwé, Manwë sighed deeply. Oromë and Tulkas released Eonwe and he fell to his knees before his Lord.

"Forgive me," he pleaded. "I know not what overcame me."

Namo came and stood before him looking deep into his eyes and soul. After several minutes, he turned and conferred with Manwë. Accepting Námo's chastisement for his error, he turned back to Eönwé.

"I apologize child," he began. "My selfishness kept you at my side instead of allowing you to go to the Halls for healing after the War of Wrath like the others. Because of this, a darkness that should have been healed has grown inside of you. It has changed your behavior to that of an ellon chased by Melkor. I release you now to go and obtain a healing that is long overdue. We will talk of this afterwards."

Elrond watched as Oromë stepped up to his great uncle and they faded away together. Next he turned his attention to Celebrían as Estë knelt beside her to check on her condition.

"She will have to return to my gardens for a time of healing," he heard her say to her husband. "Her memories will be triggered by the violence of what happened here today. She will also have to come to terms with her belief of safety being no longer possible."

"It is his fault," Gil-Galad began. "He should never have been allowed around her. He is the cause of all of her pain."

Namo turned on Gil-Galad at this point.

"I see that maybe you also are not ready to be around others if this is how you still think," he hissed at the ellon holding Celebrían. "You conveniently forget exactly how much of everything was by your design. It was you who named Elrond your heir out of jealously believing he would then be no threat to you. Then you agreed to the betrothal with Celebrían, despite Galadriel's stipulation that if anything happened to you she would marry your heir. You were sent dreams of your demise and they did not lead you to break your betrothal. Your only action was to give Elrond Vilya, mistakenly believing that Sauron would go after him first giving you time to defeat him. It is time you learned not to fight the song."

"I also agree that maybe you need more time to reflect. Tulkas take him to Irmo's special garden and ensure they know he is to stay there for a time," Manwë ordered.

Gil-Galad looked shocked but did not protest as he was led away by Tulkas. Manwë then turned and looked at Elrond. Coming to kneel beside him, he address him.

"You are the one I worry about least in all of this. Your past has taught you to handle pain like no other in ways even I cannot understand. The others will heal given enough time, worry not. It is time for you to sleep and finish healing," he told Elrond as he placed his hand upon his forehead and gently pushed him into sleep.

Signaling for two other Maiar to carry Elrond and Glorfindel back to Melain's house, Manwë called his brothers and sisters to counsel.

The Vala reclined upon their thrones as they all considered what had occurred that day. It was Namo who addressed the problems first.

*Eönwë will recover with time; he is already communing with the father. That the darkness manifested in this form is what is most disturbing. We will have to watch for this manifestation with others,* he said.

*How many others are there who have not spent time healing after a sojourn in Middle-earth?* Manwë asked.

*There are four others; two who went forth with our forces in the War of Wrath and two others who have spent time there since for various reasons ,* he responded.

*There is also Melian to consider,* Irmo told them. *She has spent all of her time in my gardens but none in the Halls.*

*Have there been any signs of darkness?* Varda asked.

*No, but there were none in Eönwë either before he broke,* Irmo said.

*She is needed to guide the youngsters at this time,* Manwë began. *Nienna, you are not around her and would notice any difference in behavior. Go there and evaluate her; talk to Elwë. If there is the slightest darkness about her we must make other plans for the young ones. They are at too important of a stage to chance the slightest tainting their training.*

*To be on the safe side, I will have several Maiar around both of them at all times. They should not be able to sense them yet,* Námo told them.

*You forget who you are dealing with, Námo,* came Aulë's quiet reply. *Neither of them have ever been normal ellon. Ilúvator marked them out from birth. I have no doubt that they will know if you place someone around them. The question is whether or not we should do this.*

*Both of their lives have been shaped by adversity and they have both grown and rose above this,* Yavanna continued. *It is almost as if they were shaped to grow this way. I say let them be to work through this without being guarded.*

*What you say is wise,* Manwë said. *We seek to protect them but never have they been protected like this before. We seek to shield them so they will choose the path we want them to.*

*But we have already seen the consequences of this action before,* Namo said finishing Manwë's thought. *I say we should refrain from interfering this time. A repeat of the disaster we brought when we sought to bring the Firstborn to Valinor is unthinkable. To have the power of these two turned against us is not a thought I relish.*

The other Valar considered deeply what Námo had just revealed. While they all knew that Elrond and Glorfindel were special in Ilúvator's eyes, they had not considered why it was so. It was ultimately decided to leave them with Melian and Elwë despite what Nienna found.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: A Second Choice 7  
Author: Amber

Beta: Oli  
Rating/Type: PG / FPS

Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel  
Warning: AU  
Disclaimer: All main characters are Tolkien's; I am just borrowing them.  
Timeline: Fourth Age, Aman  
Summary: Elrond discovers he has another choice.

Melian and Elwë watched over Elrond and Glorfindel as they lay in their healing sleeps. At first Elwë had raged on about the stabbing but eventually calmed down after Melian had assured him that there would be no lasting damage to either of their charges fëa. Now a fierce protectiveness lingered as he came to realize exactly how much he had opened his heart to the young ones. He had been hesitant to trust again after agreeing to be reborn and had kept himself separate from family and friends with the exception of his wife's Maian kin. As he sat watching them sleep, Elwë realized that he had begun to think of these two as the sons he always wanted but been afraid to bring into the world after seeing his daughter's painful existence. He had not thought he had the right to cause another child such pain. As he acknowledged where his feelings had led him, he also considered that these two had suffered just as much pain during their lives but in different ways.

As he watched his great grandson and his fëa brother sleep, he contemplated and questioned why Ilúvator had felt the need to create two who would and could suffer repeatedly the way these two had. Had Melkor so marred Eru's creation that he had had no choice but to create several who were little more than sacrifices? Or was something else going on, something on a wider scheme? He felt that perhaps they had been created for something more but what was beyond him. As he had little else to do but sit with them, he contemplated and tried to fit the pieces that he knew together.

"So Elwë has stumbled upon the truth without realizing the broader implications," Varda said to her husband as she helped him card Thorondor's feathers.

"Melian will reveal to him what else she knows when we tell her that he is ready," came Manwë's reply.

"Does that not place him in danger?" she asked.

"He knew when he took her to spouse that there would be broader implications. He just had no idea exactly how broad," he told her. "He will slowly put the pieces together and realize the results of success,"

"Or the consequences of failure," she responded. "There is no guarantee that both of the boys will survive is there?"

"Eru has not chosen to tell me how things turn out," her husband admitted. "I was reminded by Namo when I asked that there is a variable of free will involved that can not be anticipated. We often forget that Elrond is Peredhil, and as such has a degree of free will to consider that the firstborn do not. The fact that he and Glorfindel have become so close was unexpected as well. I still do not know if that will work out for the best or not."

"So Eru has not revealed the future of our boys to Namo either," Varda said with a smile upon her face. "Why can he not just admit it?"

"It is hard for him. You forget that his daughter has chosen Glorfindel as her heart's desire. He fears for her and does not know why," Manwë said quietly. At his wife's questioning glance he continued. "I too am worried. The fates of children of Ainur decent have not ended well. I fear for the ones who remain including the child we gave up to Eru when asked.

"Elrond will see through whatever has to be done. He has not failed Ilúvator yet when asked to do something," Varda said after a moment of silence as she remembered her daughter. "He will do what needs to be done and somehow bring the others through with him."

Manwë did not respond to her but prayed to the creator that she was right.

Elrond floated in dreams where he learned many things about the song and all it encompassed. Sometimes his brother Glorfindel was with him but most of the time he was alone with the teachers. He understood that he had much to learn that Glorfindel had already been taught. He walked these paths for what seemed like months before he was told it was time to awaken. Knowing it was useless to fight, he allowed himself to be pushed toward the light.

Waking slowly, Elrond felt another body curled around his and knew without looking that it was Glorfindel. Nudging his brother to release him so that he could rise, Elrond was surprised when he was gently restrained.

"Be still young one," Olórin told him, "You are not yet ready to rise. For a first healing lesson Glorfindel did well but you still need to rest."

"But it has been a while, surely I am well by now," came Elrond's confused response through a scratchy voice.

"No Elrond, you were stabbed only yesterday," came the quiet reply as he held a cup of water to his lips. "Here drink this, and then show me where you have been."

Elrond let some of his memories be seen when Olórin placed his hand on his forehead. Then he watched as his mentor sat back with an understanding smile.

"You have been tutoring with our kin outside the song of Arda. You both are blessed in this for none others have received this training since the beginning of Arda's time. But you must remember that time flows differently in other places. Just as the time here in Aman is different from what we experienced in Middle-earth, so too does the time flow differently among the teachers," he tried to explain to Elrond. Seeing understanding dawn in Elrond's eyes followed by questioning comprehension, Olórin realized that another question was coming. "Ask your question child."

"I was told I would be in Mando's Hall for thirty days," Elrond began. "While there, I reconciled with Ereinion but nothing of his relationship with Celebrían was ever mentioned. Then I was released into the Gardens here, and after a few weeks find myself confronted with him again. This time he is married to her and from what I can conduce, they have been married for some time."

"You needed more time in the Halls than originally planned. We could not ask for your permission at the time because you were still in contemplation in your hall. Namo and Manwë made the decision to give you what time you needed," he explained as he quietly waited for the coming question.

"How long?" Elrond asked.

"56 years as they count them in Middle-earth," came the careful reply.

Elrond lay back and thought about what he had been told. He recalled his time in the Halls and knew that Manwë's decision was right even though they had not consulted him. He had another thought as he realized that he had lost all track of time sense.

"She lied to me then. There was never any lover waiting for Celebrían on the shores here. She sailed to West to wait for his release from the Halls. She never loved me at all and only agreed to our marriage for political purposes," Elrond began. "How could she be so cruel? And what of our children? Did they ever mean anything special to her and how could she abandon them?"

"The decision to marry was not hers alone, I believe. She tried but could not overcome the feelings she had for Gil-galad. As to how she could leave her children behind, only she can answer that. You must remember that your children were full grown and responsible for their own lives by the time she left," the Maia told him. "Do not judge them too harshly. In many ways, they are as much victims of the situation as you were."

"How long ago was I stabbed?" Elrond inquired again even though he knew the question had already been answered.

"Yesterday afternoon. Glorfindel still sleeps off the weariness of the healing," came the reply from the doorway.

Looking over, Elrond saw his grandfather Elwë standing against the door jam giving Olórin a dirty look. He smiled when Elwë came over to the bed and kissed him on the head while checking on Glorfindel.

"He will be awake soon. Enough questions for now young one. I will have them prepare a good breakfast for the two of you to help you regain your strength," his grandfather told him. "Let me get you cleaned up properly and you can ask your questions later."

Elrond followed the unspoken command to wait to ask his questions until later. As much as he wanted his answers now, he sensed that asking now would cause nothing but trouble. He allowed his grandfather to carry him into the bath and lay back relaxing in the tub of hot water that had been prepared. He was drifting in a state of half sleep when suddenly he was gripped by a strong vision of death and destruction that he did not, and could not, understand. Then the pain began as he felt like he was on fire. Struggling to free himself, he fought unseen hands that held him back and shivered at the cold, cruel laugh that echoed through him.

"You will be mine or be destroyed," echoed through his brain as the pain increased and he could no longer hold back his screams.

Elwë had pulled the door to the bathing area closed after depositing Elrond in the tub so that he could confront Olórin.

"There is more going on here then we are being told and I want to know," he began. "Can you not leave him in peace? Has he not suffered enough to earn a rest?"

"He made the choice, Elwë," the Maia said in his own defense. "They both did. They were created to be different from the rest of you and are only becoming what they are truly meant to be. Everything they both have been through before has just been tempering for what they will become."

"Tempering?" Elwë began. "You call their previous pains tempering! What kind of cruel masters are you? What task could possibly require that type of preparation? Do they even know and comprehend what you are preparing them for? Did you even tell them?"

"The choice was ours," Glorfindel said from the bed.

Turning to see him sitting up in the bed watching them, they approached and Olórin checked him over.

"I am fine," he said. "We may not know the entirety of the situations, but Elrond and I made the choice of our own free will. We talked many a night before sailing about our differences from others and the reasons behind them. We came to the conclusion before we left Middle-earth, that we had been created for something more."

"That still does not answer my own questions, and I believe that you both have earned a well deserved rest for your work in Arda-Marred," Elwë said. As he bent down to help Glorfindel up they all froze in shock as screams began to sound from the bathroom.

"Elrond," Glorfindel shouted as he pushed the others away and ran to the bathing room door. He found that he could not open the door and began trying to knock a way through it as the screams increased in intensity. He and Elwë began throwing their weight against the door in an attempt to burst it open when the screams were suddenly cut off and it became deathly quiet.

"Move aside," came the command from Oromë, who had suddenly appeared behind them with Tulkas. They felt more than saw the power Oromë turned toward the door to open it. At first the door resisted but finally flew open. Olórin held them back as Oromë and Tulkas rushed through the door to find the power he had been pushing against gone. They found Elrond floating face down in the tub.

Tulkas pulled Elrond from the tub as Estes appeared. Within several minutes she had Elrond breathing again and changed into dry clothing. Namo appeared with Varda as Elwë and Glorfindel were tucking him into the bed. After a quick conference with the other Vala, Namo told everyone that he would take Elrond back to his Halls to heal and find out exactly what had happened.

"No!" Glorfindel said as he came to stand between Elrond and Namo. "He stays here with me. I will take care of him."

"Do not be a fool Glorfindel, you have no idea how to help him or even what is wrong," Namo began.

The other Vala watched the exchange between the two as Glorfindel refused to move and Elwë came to stand by him. Finally, after a quick message exchange with Manwë, Varda intervened before Namo lost his temper.

"Enough," she shouted. When she had their attention she turned to Glorfindel. "Consider your answer well Glorfindel and tell me why you are so adamant about Elrond not going back to the Halls."

"I do not know exactly why I feel this way. All I can tell you is that if he goes back to the Halls, we will lose him," Glorfindel began looking confused. Varda looked deeply into his eyes for several minutes before nodding her head.

"Elrond stays here. Tulkas, you stay nearby in case of another attack. I will have maiar sent to assist you. Estes, stay by his side, there is no telling how he will react when he awakens. We will have to wait until then to determine how much damage was done," she said.

Turning to Elwë she addressed some of the questions flying through his mind unasked. "Elrond and Glorfindel were indeed created to combat something greater than what you have or will see here. As you already suspect, there is something greater going on outside of Arda that will slowly begin to affect life here. It has already interfered with life in Arda Marred and is slowly working its tentacles here. That is all I am allowed to tell you other than to be patient. There are several others of the firstborn who have seen and grasped a bigger picture than most. You will slowly recognize each other and begin to exchange ideas. When the time comes, more will be revealed to you."

Elwë did not like it but nodded his understanding and grudging consent. Varda and Namo conferred silently with Olórin about what to do with Glorfindel. Telling him to lie beside Elrond and hold him, Varda them sent him into a deep sleep. With a final look at the others, she and Namo departed to confer with Manwë.

When next Elrond was aware, he found himself lying on the grass in the garden where he had taken lessons with the teachers. Sitting on a rock nearby was a being shaped like one of the Secondborn, with blonde hair and deep blue eyes. There was a glow about him that spoke of much power and a nearness to Eru. He was surprised that he felt no fear after the attack he had suffered and could only attribute it to the presence of this being. Elrond settled back to wait to be addressed by him.

The being studied Elrond for a while before speaking.

"My name is Michael and I am here to teach you to defend yourself against attacks like the one you recently suffered from," the being said.

"Will you teach Glorfindel also?" Elrond asked as he sat up.

"If Eru consents, I will. For now I must concentrate on you. The attack came much sooner than we had anticipated and I am sorry you were not prepared," Michael told him.

"Where is this place?" Elrond asked.

"Your fëa has been transported to a safe place outside Arda where it can learn peacefully. One day, after much time has passed, you may come here in your entirety. There is much to be completed before them," Michael answered. "Come, we must begin to build your defenses. Your brother has already received most of your first few lessons so you can practice these with him when you return."

Elrond spent what felt like the next several days learning to shield and defend himself between bouts of sleep. Finally he was deemed competent and told that it was time to return.

"My presence has shielded you from the affects of your attack. When you go back and awaken, there will be no such shield. Your memory of your time here will recede into the back of your mind until you have need for it. You will suffer the full affects of the attack as if it had just happened. You need this experience to grow. Rely on your brother and the others to help you through it but give yourself time," Michael told him. "I hope we meet under better circumstances young one." Kissing Elrond on the brow, he pushed him back into sleep.

Elrond woke up screaming and fighting as he felt himself being held. His skin felt as if he was on fire and the slightest touch brought excruciating pain. He managed to push whoever was holding him away before he threw the covers off of himself, and scramble off of the bed where he crawled to a basin of water and pulled it over onto himself. He rolled around in the water on the floor as he tried to relieve the burning feeling. As others in the room tried to grab him, he fought desperately. He had to get away. They managed to grab him again as what little strength he had fled. He struggled and cried as they held him down afraid of what was to come. He did not think he could survive being violated again.

"Elrond, calm yourself! It is I, Elwë," his grandfather said as he grabbed Elrond's head and forced him to look him in the eye. "You are safe now; I have you and will not leave you."

Elrond grabbed desperately for Elwë. He knew in his heart that his grandfather could never protect him from the beings that had attacked him but his presence was a comfort.

"I feel as if I am burning, on fire," he managed to gasp out between gritted teeth.

"Be still little one, we will help you," came the gruff voice of Tulkas from somewhere beside him. Suddenly he felt hands slide over his chest and rest above his heart; then a cooling sensation flowed over him until the burning was extinguished. Elrond sighed in relief as he slipped into darkness again.

Elwë picked Elrond up and carried him back to the bed where Glorfindel had watched everything from across the room where Oromë was holding him.

"He did not mean to push you away, child. His skin felt as if it were on fire," Tulkas began to tell as an explanation that would help calm everyone somewhat. "I have put out the invisible fire but he will suffer as if burned until he heals."

"There is something else wrong also," Glorfindel began. "There was a terror in his eyes, a terror of being touched."

"We will stay with him and help him," Oromë said as he released Glorfindel.

"I will not be able to stay here with him," Glorfindel said as he watched his brother sleep. "He will not allow it now."

"You do not know that young one," Olórin said as he pulled the blonde into his arms for a hug. "Give him time to heal. Now, go with Elwë and clean up. You also need to eat. We will care for Elrond now and call you when he is better."

Glorfindel looked worriedly back over his shoulder at his brother as he was lead from the room.

"So Lucifer has decided that Elrond is a threat," Manwë said after being updated by Namo and Varda.

"He must have made inroads among the firstborn that we have not found out about yet. We will have to be more observant now to prevent trouble," Varda began. "I would have thought he would wait until their training was further along; then attack Glorfindel, not Elrond."

"He has tipped his hand but not without reason," Namo said. "He suspects that Elrond is the more dangerous of the two but I believe that he is looking for a weakness that can be exploited. He would love to convert Elrond to his side but needs a way to do so. I suspect that the violation of Elrond's mind is similar to what he has used before."

"It is as I suspected then," Manwë began. "The boy's closeness will be their downfall if we do not counteract it. It is Glorfindel we will have to watch now as he will become a target to turn Elrond."

"Do you wish them to be separated now while Elrond recovers?" Varda asked.

"No," Manwë answered. "Elrond will want to be able to see him even if he does not allow him close. They must realize where the danger lies themselves in order to combat it."

"As you wish," came Námo's quiet reply. "And the others?"

"We must speed up everything every though our timetable will be skewed now. Have Irmo send dreams to the ones who already suspect something more is going on. Let them be led to Lórien where they can meet and discuss what they suspect. I trust that they will realize what to do from there," Manwë ordered.

Bowing in acknowledgement, Namo departed as Varda went to sit beside her husband and watch over Valinor.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: A Second Choice 8

Author: Amber

Beta: Oli  
Rating: PG  
Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel  
Disclaimer: I just borrow Tolkien's characters; I make no money off of them. Oli also provided the name Ellaf for me.  
Timeline: Fourth Age Aman  
Summary: Elrond discovers he has another choice.

Elrond regained awareness two days later as Arien first rose into the sky to find Tulkas and Oromë watching over him. He flinched and pulled away when Tulkas tried to raise his head and offer him a drink. Backing down, the Vala looked to his brother for direction in dealing with this young one.

"I will do it," Glorfindel said as he came in from the patio.

They watched as Glorfindel took a water skin and gently lowered the tip over Elrond's mouth without touching him. They waited silently as Elrond drank his fill before assessing his well being. They checked him quickly afterwards, without touching him, but still saw Elrond flinch and try to back away from them. When they tried to assess the well being of his mind they were shocked to find that it was closed so tightly that even they could not enter. With a glance at Tulkas, Oromë faded away to report to Manwë their findings.

Glorfindel watched his brother sadly as the Vala examined him. An age together had taught him that Elrond would not open up to anyone until he was ready so it was useless to try. Instead of trying to communicate with him Glorfindel chose to do what he had done for years, he saw to his personal needs. He went to the kitchen and obtained a light meal of thick soup and bread. He added some fruit juice for extra nutrition as he had not had the chance to discuss with Elrond their changed bodies needs. He chose a long handled spoon that would give him plenty of space in case Elrond could not feed himself and returned to the bedroom.

Setting the tray down on the nightstand, Glorfindel motioned for Elrond to roll to the side and stacked pillows up so that he could sit up comfortably. Using a pillow so as not to touch him, he helped Elrond roll into an upright where he could eat. Setting the tray onto the bed before Elrond, he watched to see if Elrond would feed himself. When he saw that he would not, Glorfindel broke bread up into the soup and began feeding him ensuring he kept his distance. Afterwards, he removed some of the pillows so that Elrond could recline back and sleep again. Not once during this whole time did his brother look at him directly.

Several hours later, Elrond began fighting and screaming in his sleep. Oromë tried to help him but Elrond would not let him enter his mind. Manwë himself came and forced himself into Elrond's mind to stop the attack. It was ten minutes before Elrond went totally still. Checking him, they found that he had blacked out again and was in shock. Estë treated him as much as she could and left him to be watched over by the others as Manwë ordered several of his people to guard both Elrond and Glorfindel before he returned to his mountain.

The morning sun was just rising when Elrond regained consciousness four days later. Not realizing where he was he began to panic. Elwë came into his line of view and turned Elrond so that he could look into his eyes and calm him.

"Shh," he said in a gentle voice. "You are safe now."

"I will never be safe until the end," Elrond whispered as he drew away from contact with them. "Melkor wants me too badly."

"We will not give you up so easily little one," Oromë told him as he came into view. "He will try again you can be sure but we will not let him have you."

Seeing the truth in his eyes, Elrond nodded but did not open his mind. Melian brought in a light breakfast for him to eat and proceeded to feed him. Her presence lent him strength and he relaxed some. When he was finished, she gave him a sponge bath and changed his clothing. He had not realized how weak he was until that point.

"The mental battle took much out of you," she explained. "Coming so soon after being stabbed and the previous assault in the bath have taken a toll on you hröa. You need to rest and recover. Allow us to care for you and watch over you."

"Where is Glorfindel?" he wanted to know.

"I sent him on an errand. You need to learn not to rely on him so much," Elwë answered as he came back into the room.

"He is my protector," Elrond said confused.

"Not anymore child," said Oromë as he reappeared. "He ceased to be your protector when you sailed. Now he is your brother. You have both been assigned to Manwë and when he feels you are ready, you will be assigned duties."

Elrond nodded his head and pondered what he had been told and what was not being said. He finally succumbed to a healing sleep wondering if his dreams would tell him more or bring another assault.

Elrond stayed in bed resting for two more days before finally being allowed up. He and Glorfindel had been kept apart most of the time to try and make them independent from each other. Elrond's dreams told him to allow this for now but that it would not always be the case. He conveyed this to his brother one time when they were left in the garden by themselves for a few minutes. Trusting Elrond, Glorfindel quit fighting their separation and let the others think what they would. There was a bond between them that could not be broken and he would rely on that if he had too.

One afternoon a week later, Glorfindel helped Elrond escape their guardians watching eyes into the forest and gardens surrounding the cottage. Feeling like naughty children, they ran and played for several hours before stopping to rest in a garden neither had been in before. Soon they heard voices approach and Elrond stiffened. The ellith's voice he remembered from his childhood. He rose as his mother and an ellon entered the garden.

"Naneth," he greeted in an emotionless voice.

Elwing stopped and stared at him for a moment before she realized who he must be.

"Elrond," was all she said.

He didn't know if it was his Maian abilities or what but in that one word he learned the answer to most of his questions. Keeping a tight reign on his emotions, he took a good look at the ellon and came to the understanding that he was his younger brother. Elrond could sense that the ellon was pure elf and carried none of the traits of either humans or maias.

Seeing her firstborn studying her other son, she decided to introduce him.

"This is my son, Ellaf," she said. The pride and emotion in her introduction told Elrond all he needed to know about him. He was all that mattered to her.

"So, you're the one nobody wanted," Ellaf said to him with a sneer. "I can see why they were glad to disown you. You're a contaminated nobody."

As Elrond looked into Ellaf's eyes he read this brother's character and knew that he would not tolerate Elrond's existence. He was jealous and afraid of him, he considered Elrond a threat. Elrond also read other emotions and thoughts that did not bode well for Aman in general but he was unsure of what was going on. He had not been out of the Gardens since his re-embodiment and knew nothing of went on elsewhere. He would have to ask Glorfindel.

"Well, have you been brought here to apologize to me?" Elwing asked to break the tension between Elrond and Ellaf.

"I have nothing to apologize to you for," Elrond responded in surprise. "It is you who should ask forgiveness. I did not ask to be born and ignored, then abandoned. It was you who played favorites between Elros and I, then forgot me totally after you left. Tell me, did you think it was funny to meet with Elros throughout his life and not even bother to send me a message?"

When she made to deny the accusations, Elrond cut her off.

"Do not think to lie to me, I know the truth."

"I never wanted twins, was not ready or able to care for two," she cried trying to defend her actions. "Elros's fëa was so like his fathers that I naturally sought comfort from him. You were too different, even your father sensed it the one time he was home. We were afraid to abandon you because of what our people would say, but did not want you. I did the best I could under those circumstances."

"Even now, knowing what you did to me, you are unwilling to ask forgiveness," Elrond said when he had brought his temper under control again. "You will not even acknowledge that you did anything wrong. You do not see that this has tainted your other child. No good will come of this."

"You would threaten your own brother? What kind of a monster are you?" Elwing shrieked. "You stay away; I will appeal to the Vala to stop you from harming Ellaf."

"It is not your plea they will acknowledge," was all Elrond said as he turned and walked out of the garden.

Glorfindel followed and walked beside him in silence. Finally, when they were almost back to the house, he stopped Elrond.

"Let the anger go," he said. "They were never family to you no matter how much you wanted it. You have a new family that wants you, let us help you."

"I know," Elrond managed to say as he fought back the tears. "I just…"

"Come child, let the tears out and let the pain leave." Irmo said as he emerged from the side and took Elrond into his arms. "You held on for so long with dreams we knew could never come to fruitation. They helped you cope with what was going on in Middle-earth so we never disavowed you of them, told you the truth. Glorfindel is right, leave these dreams in the past and accept the new family that wants you."

Finally Elrond could take no more and pulled away, running back to the cottage to hide in his room as he closed himself off to all including Glorfindel.

"Give him time Glorfindel," Irmo said comfortingly. "He will come around."

Elrond stayed to himself for most of the next several days. He took his meals with his family and friends who came by but did not interact with them. His thoughts remained closed to all. He continued to have dreams and when he did talk he began to ask questions about Aman. He had Glorfindel talking to others and leaving the garden to gauge the feel of attitudes and politics, then reporting back to him when he could. This continued for a week before he decided he had learned what he needed.

Glorfindel told Elrond about a dinner and dance that was planned in the central part of the garden, and that they were expected to attend. It had been decided that it was time for the two of them to reacquaint themselves with society on a normal level. The plans were for them to leave the Gardens soon and begin apprenticeships in the different courts. They both attended the dance where they found that they were objects of interest to many. Some were old friends who wanted to check on them, others were Amanians who were curious about them and their new status. Elrond was polite but remained in the background for the most part. He let Glorfindel run interference so he could watch and listen. Only once was he reprimanded for hanging back by Irmo and Estë. He grimaced and let Glorfindel introduce him to some of the ellith who had been inquiring about him. He even agreed to dance after seeing the disapproving glare Melian was sending him. The dance lasted most of the night before breaking up. They returned to the cottage and Elrond sat in the garden going over what he had learned.

The next day, they were informed that they would be leaving at the end of the week. Elrond was going to Ingwë's court while Glorfindel was being sent to Olwë's. They would stay for six months before being moved to another court. Elrond and Glorfindel spent as much time together as they could, even sharing a room when they rested. Two days before they left, Elrond was attacked in his dreams. This attack was followed by an attempt to comfort him and entice him from similar parties. Elrond gave a non committal response to the overture and only informed his family of the attack. He was recovered enough to leave for Ingwë's court on time.

Elrond's time at court was basically a crash course on Amanian politics. He had learned the mechanics of how court worked in Lindon so used his time to study the people. After six months he was transferred to Olwë's court where he repeated the same process. In addition to the normal stuff, he paid attention to how the different groups interacted with each other and their specific problems. There were tensions between the Amanians and the transplants from Middle-earth that were not being handled very well politically. Then there were the social problems stemming from a stagnate culture that allowed little movement or advancement. A bored youth with no real future added another dimension that could potentially explode.

Elrond and Glorfindel were allowed a break from their apprenticeships' at this point. They spent two weeks together at Melian's cottage relaxing and just enjoying each others company. They spent the third week comparing notes on what they saw and heard. Both were unhappy with the findings and the direction they sensed Aman heading in.

"I thought we left all of this internal bickering behind in Middle-earth," Glorfindel remarked.

"Hardly," Elrond laughed. "The exiles arrival there only added new dimensions to what was already going on. If you study the histories long enough you realize that there was never any real peace between the different fractions. There have always been disagreements and prejudices. Everything has just become worse since now everyone is together in Aman. Lessoning the tensions to workable levels is the best that can be hoped for."

"Can we go back?" Glorfindel pleaded.

"None of this is new to you so stop whining," Elrond laughed at him. Then he sobered. "The real problem is with the younger generations. There is major discontent there. There is also an under current of I don't like there. I am not sure of what it is but it is there."

"The under current reminds me of some of the feelings I remember from before Fëanor's revolt. Many of the tensions are the same," Glorfindel remarked. "I have already taken the liberty of passing that information on to our new brothers so that a better watch could be put on. We do not need a repeat of then."

"I am not sure stopping it is the right course," Elrond mused. At the surprised look he received, he explained. "It may run too deep to stop it. Sometimes it is better to let it happen and cut out the bad to keep it from contaminating the rest."

They were told that night that they would leave in two days time for their new assignments. Elrond would go to Tol Eressëa and Glorfindel to Tirion. Glorfindel joked that Elrond would be too busy getting reacquainted with old friends to do much.

"Who is in charge there?" Elrond asked.

"It is ruled by a counsel consisting of all the former rulers who had settled there," Elwë explained.

"And they actually manage to accomplish anything?" he asked in surprise.

"They have the smoothest running colony with the least problems in truth," came the rueful reply. "We learned our lessons about working together to survive and accept others."

"Where do we go after that?" Glorfindel asked.

"You will go to Manwë's court since you have already done time in Ingwë's halls, Melian told him. "You Elrond will go on to Tirion."

"Is that wise?" Glorfindel asked. "That is his brother's territory."

"Arafinwë has been appraised of the situation and Olwë has volunteered to come and help with problems," Elwë told them.

"You expect trouble then," Elrond said.

"Yes," was all Elwë said.

"You sensed his character when you met him," Melian commented. "You know he will cause you trouble."

At Elrond's nod, they dropped the subject. Olórin came by that evening and they spent an enjoyable time playing music in the garden. Before they turned in to rest, the Maia asked Elrond to walk with him.

"Have you experienced any more attacked since you left the garden?" he inquired.

"There were three while I was at Ingwë's court and four while I was at Olwë's," Elrond mumbled. "I am fine."

Olórin gave Elrond a searching look but found his mind closed to him. He let the others know about the attack and how Elrond was still closing himself off but was directed by Manwë himself not to interfere.

Elrond's time on Tol Eressëa was much like Glorfindel had said. He spent time with friends and made peace with the few enemies he had from Middle-earth. He did spend time with the counsel but acted more as a member representing those from Imladris than as an apprentice. What concerned him more were the reactions of the Amanians to the elves from Middle-earth. He listened not only to the counsel's thoughts on the matter but also to the individual elves in the streets. His reputation proceeded him from his time as Imladris's Lord and the people here had a favoritable reaction to he and Glorfindel's new status. They saw it as a bonus that would only help them and ensure their position was not only represented but actually heard and paid attention too.

Elrond left for Tirion after stretching his stay on the island to eight months. He dreaded going for he knew that the time ahead would be hard and miserable for him. His reception upon arrival at Arafinwë's palace proved his point. He found that his brother held a fairly high counselor's position and had used his foreknowledge of Elrond's coming to lay the groundwork to ensure Elrond's misery. He found few there willing to even acknowledge his presence. Those that did went out of his way to make his life hard from the guards who shadowed his every more to the young courtiers who were outright rude. Arafinwë' interceded, as did Olwë, when they could but they both found the resentment and prejudices against Elrond were deep seated. They began to suspect that the ground work for these feelings had been laid before Elrond had even sailed and were too ingrained to fight easily. There was also a sentiment of resentment for Elrond's Maian status. Many felt that Ellaf was Elwing and Eärendil's true heir and that the Maian status should have been conveyed on him.

Twice within his first month Elrond was set upon while exploring the city. The first time he fought back and gave a good account of himself but was charged the next day with assault on the ones he defended himself against. Witnesses were brought forth who claimed that Elrond had started the fight and the King was left with little recourse but to punish Elrond with confinement. The second time his enemies proved they had learned their lesson the first time. He was overcome by sheer numbers and beaten unconscious. Olwë was sure that the beating had gone on for some time after he had blacked out due to the injuries suffered. Again witnesses were brought forward that claimed Elrond had started the fight. This time they were surprised when Maia appeared and bore witness to their lies. They had been assigned to watch over Elrond after the first incident. These accusers and assaulters were sentenced to exile for a period of not less than one hundred years.

When Elrond regained his health he again tried to explore the city and its shops but found that none would bear his presence. There was great resentment that some of their own had been exiled because of an outsider. He was denied entrance into shops and cafes by the owners, the library told him he was a distraction and told him to stay away, and even the healers wanted nothing to do with him and what they called his evil healing ways. Always both inside the palace and out, he heard the snide comments and smears against his blood and person. Soon he confined himself to the palace grounds unless on business for Arafinwë's. Even there he was not safe from the mental abuse.

Elrond also found that the servants stopped cleaning his rooms and clothes. He had to do these things himself. He could not wait for his time in Tirion to end. The few friends he had that resided in the city soon decided that it was better to not acknowledge him both for his own protection and theirs. He knew he had Maian guards but there were under orders not to interfere and to leave him alone. He soon found himself totally alone. Then he began having attacks every night when he lay down to sleep. He soon feared sleep as much as his time awake. He became lethargic and was unable to tend to his duties bringing more ridicule upon himself. He began to withdrawal into himself as a means of self preservation and eventually his apprenticeship was ended. He was deemed ill and unteachable until sometime in the future.

Arafinwë had come to the conclusion that he could not protect Elrond even with Olwë's help and that his presence caused too much trouble. Elrond was told to leave the city. The King recommended that Elrond head back to Lorien's Gardens to recover from the harsh conditions he had endured. Elrond reluctantly agreed and left the city after nightfall to avoid any drama. Unknown to Arafinwë, Ellaf had learned when Elrond was leaving and planned another reception for him just outside the city.

Elrond had just ridden over a ridge that blocked the view from the city when he realized something was wrong. A second later he was shot in each shoulder by arrows with ropes attached. Pulled from his horse, he fought as best he could. A cloth sack was thrown over his head to prevent him from seeing his attackers, and then the beating began. He cried out when something slammed into his ribs breaking several. Rolling to his side to prevent further damage he gasped in pain when the club was brought down on his legs repeatedly breaking the bones in them. He was rolled onto his back and the arrows were ripped from his shoulders. He was then pushed onto his stomach; his arms were jerked forward above his head and tied together. His hands were stepped on to keep them in place. Then he heard the crack of a whip sailing through the air before it landed on his back. He did not know how long the whipping went on before or after he blacked out. He only remembered feeling blood running freely down both of his sides.

Elrond climbed back to awareness in the deep dark before dawn to find his attackers gone and his horse nudging his shoulder. Signaling the horse to lay down, Elrond pulled himself onto it despite the overwhelming pain. Instead of following the rode south, he turned west and tried to go overland to Lórien by the fastest route. He did not trust any to help him. He traveled this way leaning over the horses back for most of the day. He blacked out several times and never saw the Maiar who appeared and guided the horse westward during these times. Finally, some time after dusk, he could hang on no longer and fell from the horse, losing consciousness again. He never felt his Maian guards pick him up and carry him the rest of the way.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: A Second Choice 9

Author: Amber

Beta: Oli  
Rating: PG  
Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel  
Disclaimer: I just borrow Tolkien's characters; I make no money off of them. Oli also provided the name Ellaf for me.  
Timeline: Fourth Age Aman  
Summary: Elrond discovers he has another choice.

The Maia watched as Elrond lost consciousness and did not awake. They expected that he would only stay out for a few minutes, like they did when knocked out, but became concerned when that did not happen. While they were discussing what to do, Elrond's horse wandered off heading back toward Tirion. They decided to split up. One would see the horse back to its stable and the other would head to Lórien and bring Melian to look over Elrond. Elrond himself was left on the ground where he fell.

As soon as he was alone, two other Maia popped up beside him.

"Let us take him to the north with us," the taller one said. "We can heal him there. Then we can work on bringing him over to our side. That they abandon him, leaving him lying on the ground, will only help us in our endeavors."

When the first Maia returned with Melian a few seconds later, Elrond was nowhere to be seen.

Elrond stifled a groan as he woke beside a fire in a cave. Opening his eyes and looking around without moving, he discovered that it was night and that he did not know where he was. Slightly turning his head allowed him to see others who sat across the fire from him. His movement told them that he was awake. He was glad when one rose and offered him some water to drink.

"Welcome," he said. "Are you feeling better?"

Elrond said nothing as he drank. Trying to sit up further, he gasped in pain and lay back down.

"You are still in pain," a tall Maia stated. "Has no one shown you how to heal yourself yet?"

"No," was the only answer he gave as he was unsure of whom these maiar were.

"Follow my lead," he was told. The Maia placed his hand on Elrond's forehead and slowly showed Elrond how to evaluate and fix his body, part by part.

"Thank you," Elrond said when he was finally able to sit up fully. "Who are you?"

"We are some that have left the protection and duties of belonging to one of the Valar," another said. "We have not turned from the light but have questions about what has been done both here and in other places outside of Arda. It was a good instance for us when the others abandoned you. It allows us to question you and see if our thoughts are true."

"Should not only Eru decide if your thoughts are true?" Elrond asked as he rested beside the fire. "And what do you mean, abandoned me?"

"Those who follow Melkor follow a different truth do they not?" came the answer from one who entered the cave then.

Elrond acknowledged their point of view without admitting anything.

"Did you not know that you were followed by Maia keepers? They let you be beaten, and then abandoned you. It is fortunate that we found you when we did," the tall Maia told him. "A group of dark ones where headed in your direction and would have considered you quite a prize."

"I don't see why," Elrond told him playing the part he knew they wanted to hear. "Nobody truly wants a mixed blood mongrel like me, not even my own parents want me."

"While there are no others with mixed blood like yours, there are other Maia who are not accepted. All have found a home among us or the dark ones when not accepted by the others," the one in female form told him. "We all acknowledge that you would not be here if you were not meant to exist."

"Maybe you are just with the wrong ones," suggested the tall Maia. "Stay a while and see for yourself."

They left Elrond alone then to think about what they had said. He was careful to keep his mind closed as he had been taught but acted curious otherwise. He sensed that they were not telling him the whole truth about being neutral, but had expected that. Over the next several days, they ask him many questions and went out of their way to include him in their decisions, and what they did. It was easy to act accepted when in fact he was. They listened to him without judging his ideas as he did the same with them. Slowly he began to feel at home. He had to remind himself several times that he did not want to stray from the light when he remembered how he had been treated by others in Middle-earth. He suspected that was part of their plan.

As time passed and he stayed, the Maia began to introduce Elrond to others like themselves. Some Elrond knew were dark from the start, and others just seemed apathetic in their loyalties. The longer he stayed, the fewer questions he asked and the more they believed he would accept them and their ideas. It took time but slowly they began to believe that Elrond would stay and become one of them.

Then the day arrived that Oromë and some of his people came hunting in the northern mountains. Elrond was with a group of mostly dark Maia at the time and became one of the hunted like them. It was Oromë himself who cornered Elrond and struck him down. Elrond was left severely injured and barely alive on the side of the mountain. It was the dark Maia who escaped the hunting expedition that found him the next day and carried him to their home. They healed him and he stayed with them. Never again were Elrond's loyalties questioned by these dark Maia. Since he was now hunted, he was one of them.

"He has been integrated into their ranks then?" Manwë asked Oromë when he had returned.

"Aye, he has," came the troubled reply. "I myself injured him and left him severely wounded on the mountain. I could not ask one of my Maia to take down one they were unsure of. He was not one I ever thought would turn from the light."

"Not all is as it seems," Manwë said to comfort him. "None but the Valar must know that he has infiltrated their ranks. He is in an unstable enough position as it is."

"It was the only way we could find out what Melkor was after," Namo said coming up behind them. "I do not like using him either, but he presented us with a unique opportunity that we could not pass up."

"I am not so sure he will easily forgive us the injuries done him though," Manwë told them. "We did not ask for his participation, we threw him to the wolves, you could say."

"He will forgive us in time." Namo told them. "It is Glorfindel you should worry about. He will not easily forgive us our ill use of his brother no matter if it was needed or not."

Oromë smiled as he thought of the trouble Glorfindel could cause.

"Things were becoming all to quiet around here anyway," he said. "The elves are up to something also. I do not think there will be quiet for some time."

The others just nodded among themselves.

Elrond stayed close to the dark Maia for several years. He never once asked their plans but listen closely for whatever information he could glean. When he finally began to realize what they were after and the resulting consequences, he had to think about what to do. Sitting watch on one of the trails up the mountain, he made plans. Hopefully, Glorfindel would still trust him despite his time among the dark ones.

He began to volunteer for recognizance missions into the elven enclaves. At first he was always assigned with another. Over time they began to trust him more and he was sent on smaller missions by himself. Then came the day he had been waiting for. He was sent east to spy on some doings in Tirion by himself. The following morning, Elrond met up with others from his group and passed along the information he had gathered. He had been able to confirm what the dark Maia were after several weeks ago, but now knew how they were helping disrupt the peace by provoking a rebellion among the elves using his brother and his followers. Knowing he had to pass this information along to the Valar, he thought about a way to ensure he could see the right people. Coming to a conclusion, he stayed and let himself be seen by his brother. Now, if he had thought this out right, his brother would come hunting him. Then he only had to let himself be captured and beaten again to end up where he needed to go. Bracing himself for the pain, he slowed as he left the city until they were upon him.

Elrond woke several days later as the moon reached its zenith. He was lying in his room in Melian's cottage in Lórien. He noticed from the pain, that he had not been healed by the Vala or Maia. He followed the lesson his tall friend had taught him and healed himself before trying to move. He then felt eyes on him and looked into the dark corner to see Glorfindel watching him. This meeting was one he had hoped would not happen yet and he was unsure of how to proceed. Turning his back on his brother, he lay there trying to decide what to do. When he felt Glorfindel's mental push on his fëa, he ruthlessly blocked it.

"I know how tempting the other side can be Elrond," Glorfindel began. "Do not give in, you are better than that."

Elrond turned back over and gave him a nasty, hateful look.

"I need you Elrond. I have no one else," he said pleadingly.

Elrond closed his eyes and realized that there was no way to leave Glorfindel out of this. They were too close and always would be. He rolled back over to stare out the window as he opened his mind and let Glorfindel see everything that he had been through. Feeling his rage begin at Oromë's attack, Elrond sent soothing thoughts trying to calm him and make him understand that it was needed.

"No Elrond," Glorfindel interrupted. "There were other ways. What was done was inexcusable."

"No Glorfindel, you must understand," Elrond explained. "It was the best way."

"If this continues, they will kill you or see you destroyed in the process," his brother argued. "I won't let that happen."

"Then help me," Elrond pleaded.

"Tell me how," Glorfindel said as he came across the room to kneel beside Elrond. "Show me how to help you."

As Elrond rose and dressed, he gave Glorfindel a searching look. Yes, his brother was strong enough to do this. Signaling his brother to follow him, he headed out of the house and into the garden. He stopped beside a large fountain that would keep any from overhearing their conversation.

"What do you remember of your time in the Halls?" Elrond asked him.

Surprised by the question, Glorfindel thought before giving an answer.

"I remember everything," came the quiet reply.

"Were you allowed to wander much, or were you kept mostly in your own corridor?" Elrond asked.

"At the very end, just before being sent to Lórien, my door was left unlocked. I took the opportunity to wander for several hours before they found me and escorted me to Namo," Glorfindel answered warily.

"Did you find the Hall of Children?" Elrond asked deciding to come straight to the point.

"I had just found the Hall and entered the door when I was pulled back by Maia," he responded.

"What was your reaction?" Elrond asked. "What did you sense?"

"I was appalled at the sheer number of fëa I sensed," Glorfindel said as he pulled those memories to the fore. "Some of those fëa were older than me and surely should have been reborn by now. I remember thinking that I could sense that the fëa were not healing and this angered and confused me. I could not understand why they were not healing and why nothing was being done about it. When I was sent before Namo I asked him about the Hall and he would not answer me. He told me that it was none of my business."

"They need a type of healing that cannot be found in the Halls," Elrond said. "A type of healing only a parent's love and guidance can provide."

"Did you sense any thing else?" Elrond asked.

"I am not sure what it was," Glorfindel started as he thought back. "There was an unusual feeling to the Hall."

"What you felt was the fea's own anger and confusion," he explained. "It was harder to define because it matched your own feelings. There are damaged fëa in the Hall and they are tainting the other fëa. They have also made the mistake of placing all of the fëa in the same Hall regardless of age. The older fëa are confusing the younger and teaching them their tainted ideas. It has become a ground ripe for exploitation."

"One of the Námo's people, in the Hall," Glorfindel began as he retrieved another memory of that time. "A traitor perhaps, keeping the fëa confused?"

"Not traitor," Elrond corrected. "I think it is one who notices the problems and is misguidedly attempting to help. He has no framework to go on and is doing more damage than good."

"Why does Namo not stop it?" Glorfindel asked.

"What reference does Namo have to go on when it comes to parenthood?" Elrond asked him. "They do not have children, therefore they know not how to handle the situation. They think of all of us as elflings and do not understand the differences in healing required. They do not understand that a fëa not fully formed like an elflings can be damaged if not nurtured and disciplined properly."

"Is this our task then?" Glorfindel asked.

"One of many I suspect," Elrond answered. "We have the experience needed for this. But the task is too big for us alone."

"But not for Imladris," came the surprising response. "You ran orphanages there for all the different peoples. Our people have the experience."

"But Imladris exist no more," came the pained response.

"So we build another one," Glorfindel told him. "We gather our people and build another sanctuary, one for children this time. It would also solve the problem of unemployment among our people."

"That is another problem that must be addressed also, but this is more important," Elrond told him before looking away.

Glorfindel had a sinking feeling in his heart as he looked at his brother. He knew he was not going to like what he heard next. Then Elrond turned to face him.

"Do you trust me, Glorfindel?" he asked. "Think well before you answer."

"Yes I trust you," Glorfindel said as he looked his brother in the eyes. "With my very life I do."

"Let us hope it does not come to that," Elrond answered. He waited a few minutes before explaining what he must. He was not sure when or if he would see his brother again after they separated this night. He would miss him greatly and hoped he survived.

"I love you my brother and would stay by your side if allowed," Elrond said as he meshed his fëa with his brothers for a few minutes. It provided them both with great comfort and made it easier to show the depths of his trust and feelings. Elrond passed along the training he had received by the Blond being outside of Arda hoping it would help keep his brother safe in the coming conflicts. Glorfindel would know what to do with what he passed along.

Finally separating, Elrond told Glorfindel to gather their people and build a new sanctuary in the mountains southwest of Lórien. He gave him directions to several valleys he had chosen as possible sites. He explained how to set up the home and to trust none they did not know and trust in Middle-earth. Then, he told him that everything had to be done quickly.

"They are after the fëa in the Hall of Children," Elrond explained. "They have plans to turn them into a dark army. These fëa outnumber those here in Aman, and once they are tainted and turned dark, there will be no stopping them. The armies here will not be able to defeat them. There is also rebellion brewing again here. The Vala will not be so merciful this time, or stay out of it after last time."

When he saw that Glorfindel understood the full possibilities he continued.

"I must leave," he said.

"You go back to the dark ones?" Glorfindel asked.

"Yes," he answered. "I have not figured out yet how they intend to lead the fëa out of Mando's Halls. I must go back. Besides, someone will need to lead the fëa to you instead of to the dark ones."

"They think you have fallen in league with Melkor," Glorfindel began.

"And they must continue to believe that for this plan to work," he told him.

"The Valar have added you to the hunted list," Glorfindel told him.

"I know," he explained. "If the children are to be saved, I must stay with the dark ones. After that, we will be going against the Valar themselves to save the fëa."

"Ilúvator sure has a way of making life interesting," Glorfindel said with a rueful smile. "I will miss you."

"I will miss you also," Elrond said as he rose. "Remember to tell and trust no one. Now I must go."

"I can't just let you leave," Glorfindel countered. "They will suspect something."

"It means that I will not be the one taking the beating this time," Elrond told him.

"Won't work," Glorfindel countered. "No one would believe you defeated me in a straight on fight. You will have to do something more drastic. Take my knife and stab me in the back. Just don't hit anything too vital, I don't want to bleed out before help arrives."

Seeing his brother's hesitation, he reassured him.

"I trust you," he said. Elrond nodded and hugged his brother before he walked behind Glorfindel and pulled the knife from its place in his belt. Stabbing Glorfindel several times in the back, he gently lowered him to the ground before turning and running north.

Elrond met up with several of dark friends as he left Lórien.

"We must hurry and hide you," they told him. "Glorfindel has already been found, and they are searching for you."

"I know," Elrond replied as he followed them.

"You will never be able to go back now," they explained. "Glorfindel was one of Manwë's chosen and the Eldar King will not take lightly to you attempting to kill him."

Elrond just nodded as they made their way north. There was no turning back now. He and Glorfindel both were committed to this until the end despite the consequences. He was taken further west than he had ever been before, near the Doors of Night and entrusted to a bigger, darker group of Maia. There he was hidden for many years as they taught him the dark arts.

Melian sensed something was wrong and rushed outside with Elwë following. He had learned long ago to trust her and follow her lead. They searched for several minutes until they found Glorfindel lying on the ground beside the fountain. Este soon arrived to treat his wounds as others searched for Elrond once it was discovered that he was missing. When he regained consciousness, Glorfindel said nothing after learning that Elrond was gone. All thought that he was suffering from the betrayal of Elrond. Little did they know that he was using his gifts to contact Erestor and others he trusted to begin building their new home.

There had been some sympathy for Elrond's plight when it leaked out that Elrond had disappeared after having suffered a severe beating. Despite the knowledge of Oromë's attack on him, many did not believe the rumors that he had turned dark and this latest mysterious attack on him garnered him more sympathy. But the attack on Glorfindel changed all that. Elrond's brother, Ellaf, used the attack to continue his campaign against the taint of those born in Middle-earth. He played up the fact that even though the Valar had rewarded his brother for a job well done, he had turned on them and was attacking Aman born elves. He blamed it on the human blood that had become tainted beyond fixing from the many years in Endórë. He said that the sympathy of the Endórë born elves for Elrond proved that they were tainted and a danger to the rest of Aman. He told out how they were stealing jobs from those born here leaving many without a way to support their families. He used the fact that many of them were unemployed themselves to say that they were lazy and expected to be cared for, playing victim. The younger Aman generation who had grown up hearing about the 'dark' tainted elves and the fears of their return from their eldars now took it upon themselves to solve problems.

The bored youth started roaming in packs accosting any they knew came from Middle-earth. The older generations took advantage of the situation to spread their prejudices and soon trouble was brewing in all circles. Elflings were kept apart and inside for fear of taint or injury. Those from Middle-earth were denied access to the markets as merchants refused to sell to them. Families began to rethink merging with distant kin who had finally sailed. Soon Aman was in an uproar as the two divisions broke down into more as those left behind tried to separate themselves from the Kinslayers, and the unwilling in an attempt to better their positions. No decrees coming from Ingwe were listened to as he tried to calm everything. He and his people were judged too distant to truly understand the situation. Law and order began to break down, and the Valar and their attendants were soon spending their time trying to bring peace about.

While all of this was going on, the wise of Middle-earth communicated amongst each other to find ways to manage the situation. They arranged for those able enough to provide for as many as they could while they sought a solution. They soon noticed that those who had inhabited the valley of Imladris were disappearing a few families at a time and worried about the situation. Celeborn and Galadriel traveled with Cirdan to Lórien to confer with Elwë as well as check on Glorfindel. None had heard word of him after the attack and they all wondered what had happened.

Glorfindel was still at Melian's cottage when the group arrived to discuss the situations. He sat in a corner of the garden away from them but listened in on the conversation to gauge how much time he might have to complete different parts of Elrond's plan. When they came to an impasse and decided to take a break, he joined them. Melian had been called away to help in another part of the Gardens for the day and Elwë remained, but he would have to take his chances there. Waiting until they had all taken refreshment, he then began to expand into his next step hoping it wasn't too soon.

"Elwë," he began. "I have need to discuss something that will not be taken back to the Maia or Vala. If you cannot guarantee me that, then I ask that you leave for I would not cause discord for you.

Everyone was shocked by the request but Glorfindel would field no questions on it as of yet. He had to have Ewe's answer first.

"This concerns my grandson, Elrond, does it not?" Elwë asked sternly.

Glorfindel only nodded as he watched Elwë rise and pace around the garden. Stopping to stand before Glorfindel, he finally answered.

"You ask something that you cannot comprehend, young one," Elwë began. "I can hide nothing from her, so I will leave. Do not think that I cannot help in other ways despite whatever it is you have planned. I do not think Elrond is unredeemable. He spent too many years serving the light to turn so suddenly and join Melkor."

"Let us both hope that those he resides with do not think like that," was all Glorfindel said as Elwë looked deeply into his eyes before leaving.

Galadriel turned to berate Glorfindel for his treatment of Elwë when Celeborn stopped her. They watched as a grey dove, one of Lindir's messenger birds, landed on Glorfindel's lap. Taking the message so his little friend could rest, Glorfindel ignored them as he read an update from Erestor. Recognizing the writing in the letter, the others watched in curiosity waiting to ask their questions for Erestor and his family had gone missing several years ago without any word.

"I need woodsmen, masons, and farmers," Glorfindel told them as he burned the message before them. "Celeborn, several of your better March wardens would be nice also."

"What is going on my friend?" Cirdan asked.

"We are building a new Imladris," he told them. That answer explained almost all of the missing elves as well as why some supplies that had gone missing.

"Why?" Galadriel asked directly as she sensed they were not being told something.

"I can not tell you, only that it will be needed," he answered cryptically.

"And this is in some way connected to Elrond?" Celeborn asked.

"It is his plan," Glorfindel explained. "He left the specifics up to me but the overall plan is his."

"What is so important that he wishes to hide it from the Valar?" Cirdan asked as he sensed that something more was involved here than the rebellion.

"I don't think hide it is the right term," Glorfindel said as he thought about how to tell them without telling them everything. He wasn't so sure it could be done; maybe he could lead them to the proper conclusions. "There is a problem that the Vala are not dealing with properly that could lead to dire consequences for all of Aman and Arda."

"What type of consequences?" Celeborn asked.

"The type that lets a dark army under Melkor's control be produced right here in Aman," he answered hoping they would ask the right questions.

Celeborn got up and walked around the garden as he tried to think about where such an army would come from. Looking to Cirdan to see if he had come to the same conclusion when he thought about it, he finally addressed Glorfindel.

"Would this army be made up of those you found in the Halls?" he asked. "It is the only place I can think of where you have both been that would have a profound enough affect to make Elrond run to Melkor's side."

"Elrond is not on Melkor's side," snapped Glorfindel. "And yes it was in the Halls."

"You are talking about an army of fëa," Cirdan said. "But whose? This makes no sense."

Galadriel had watched her husband as he paced while working out her own conclusions. A normal fëa would not be feared as it was Elven and very few elves would side with Melkor. Even his thralls would leave his side if given a chance. That left only one option, only one group whose fëa were unaccounted for here in Aman and open to corruption. A group that Elrond would risk all to save.

"The children," she said looking at Glorfindel. "The fëa of the children who died in Middle-earth have never been returned. Most do not think about them for we have been taught since coming to Aman that they are being cared for. Is this who you refer to?"

Glorfindel just nodded his head. He let them work the rest out on their own.

"You are building a retreat for these fëa," Celeborn stated as he looked for confirmation.

"But why hide this from the Vala?" Cirdan asked not understanding.

"It is they who keep the fëa from healing and being reborn," Glorfindel answered.

"I still do not understand," Cirdan said.

"Think back to what it took to raise Ereinion," Galadriel told him. "How can the Valar possibly understand what an elfling needs in the way of guidance and discipline? They have no framework to go on. I remember the few times I saw the Istari interact with elflings. They treated them like adults and could not comprehend when the elflings did not act as they expected."

"How much damage has been done, Glorfindel?" Celeborn asked. "Have either of you even thought about the possibility that you might not be able to fix this?"

"We will try," he snapped in anger. "We may not be able to save and help all of them but we will try. Just because some may not make it is not reason enough to abandon all of them. They can not heal in the Halls."

"But why are you doing this without the Valar?" Cirdan wanted to know. "Why not let them help you."

"Their idea of preventing the situation will be to put extra guards on the Hall of Children," he answered. "That will not fix the problem or help the fëa."

"You two mean to take the fëa yourselves," Galadriel finally said as she began to understand. "That is the reason behind the secrecy in building a new sanctuary. It is why Elrond went back to the dark ones."

"When the dark ones take the fëa, Elrond will in turn guide them to the valley," Glorfindel confirmed.

"You mean to steal the fëa from both groups," Celeborn said as he picked up on his wife's thoughts. "Why can't you two do anything simple? You have not even thought out the ramifications of this have you? Do you even have a way to fight off both groups of Ainur while you try to ensure this healing?"

"Valar help us, what have you two gotten us into now?" Cirdan yelled as the situation finally sunk in. "Of all the haired brained schemes you two have come up with over the years. And I thought Ereinion was bad. Let's not think about the fact that Valinor is on the edge of civil war, let's start another war with the Ainur on top of it. Why does it not surprise me that one raised by Kinslayers would not see the inherent problems with this idea? The only good fact I see is that Eonwe is currently undergoing treatment time in Mando's Halls himself so won't be there to help annihilate us."

"That is enough," Galadriel snapped as she rose to her feet in anger. "Their intentions are in the right place even if they have not thought everything out. What they are attempting to do is right Cirdan, and you know it. Just because it is Elrond's idea is not reason enough to shoot it down. Now is not the time to dredge up resentment because Eärendil and Elros left you. Do not let your resentment against Elrond interfere with what needs to be done. Too often he has been made to pay for others choices. It is time for this to stop. He is doing what he needs to do despite the consequences to himself, just like always. It is time we stop making him pay for others choices and mistakes."

Cirdan was angered that Galadriel would try to sensor him and stalked off. Celeborn just looked at his wife in anger for her explosion before going after him to try and calm things over. Glorfindel sat there with a sinking feeling. His trust had been misplaced and now his brother would probably pay the ultimate price. He would continue to prepare to the best of his ability but he doubted now that they would be able to complete their plans. The Valar would know of their plans in hours if they did not already know and put a stop to it. They would brand Elrond a traitor and sentence him to death like the other dark Maia. This would only help the rebellion and Elrond's brother would be able to basically take over. Those from Middle-earth would be left to live a miserable life. Sighing in frustration and defeat, Glorfindel quietly left the garden unobserved by all except the dark shadow that had been sitting in the top of the tree listening.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: A Second Choice 10

Author: Amber

Beta: Oli  
Rating: PG  
Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel  
Disclaimer: I just borrow Tolkien's characters; I make no money off of them. Oli also provided the name Ellaf for me.  
Timeline: Fourth Age Aman  
Summary: Elrond discovers he has another choice.

Oromë waited until the garden was empty before he moved out of the trees and further into the garden. He had been sent to observe Glorfindel to assess his well-being after his attack and was doing a recheck when he overheard the meeting. What he had overheard caused conflicts within him that he did not know how to handle. Finally, he decided that he needed to report to Manwë. He had been sent to spy and learn news of the rebellion, now he had to take news of possibly another rebellion taking place. Something inside of him told him that maybe this second rebellion needed to happen. He somehow suspected that the others may not agree with him.

He arrived at Taniquetil to find all of his brother and sister Vala waiting. Manwë had decided that his report could happen before all and decisions be made then and there.

"What have you learned?" Varda asked him.

"The rebellion is being provoked by the dark Maia in the north. They have chosen to promote the ideas coming from Elaff against Elrond and the other people of Middle-earth," Oromë explained.

"Elrond?" came the surprised inquiry from Aulë. "I thought we had dealt with that situation?"

"Not all is as it appears," Namo answered. Looking to Manwë for permission to explain, he continued. "We have used Elrond as an unknowing accomplice and spy. We needed the information and he was in a position to obtain it from us with the proper setting provided."

"He has not turned to follow Melkor then?" Nienna asked to be sure.

"He will never follow Melkor but do not think him incapable of causing trouble," Oromë told them.

"Of what do you speak Oromë?" Manwë asked as he had picked up on this ones confusion.

"I went and kept an eye on Glorfindel like you asked," he said. "When Elrond woke, he at first tried to push Glorfindel away but not because he loathed him. Elrond is trying to find a way to protect Glorfindel. There is trouble brewing of another nature that is a greater threat than the elven rebellion."

"What could be a greater threat than the rebellion to the peace of Aman?" Yavanna asked.

"Aman's defeat by an army controlled by Melkor," Oromë told them as he looked at Namo.

"Why the searching look, brother?" Namo inquired. He was sensing that he was not going to like what he heard next.

"Explain yourself," Manwë ordered.

"Elrond and Glorfindel talked for some time in the gardens before he left," Oromë continued. "Elrond told Glorfindel who was leading the rebellion and why so he could pass the information on to us. Then he asked a series of questions that led to a revelation to me that leaves me unsettled. Namo, tell me about the Hall of Children."

"The Hall of Children?" Namo asked in surprise. "It is the Hall that houses all of the fëa of the firstborn who died in Middle-earth before reaching their majority. Why?"

"Have any ever been released from the Halls?" he continued.

"No they haven't," Namo said as he hung his head sadly. "These fëa are damaged beyond my ability to fix despite what I try. I have come to the conclusion that only Eru can do this and assume this will happen at the breaking of the world."

"There are others who believe differently," Oromë stated. "Elrond told Glorfindel that the dark Maia plan to use these fëa to create a dark army that the elves cannot defeat."

This information caused an uproar among the Vala as they considered the implications of this information. Manwë let the others go on for several minutes as he considered the news before stopping them to ask questions of his own.

"Oromë," he began as the others silenced themselves to listen. "Is there any other information for us or is this most of it?"

Oromë was hesitant for a minute. He knew he would tell them but he was finding himself in agreement with Elrond's ideas despite not knowing everything.

"Elrond does not know yet how the dark ones plan to retrieve the fëa from Mandos," he told the others. "He plans to wait until after that to retrieve the fëa from them, and send them on to Glorfindel."

"Then what?" Manwë encouraged as he sensed there was more.

"I am not sure. I believe Elrond will stay with the dark Maia for a time. Elrond and Glorfindel plan on taking the fëa to a sanctuary the elves of Imladris are presently building in the southern mountains," he said quietly.

"Why are they not returning them to the Halls, Oromë?" Namo asked irritated.

"They do not believe the fëa belong there, or that we know how to properly heal and provide for them," he answered.

There was a minute of shocked surprise before Namo responded menacingly.

"So Elrond has been corrupted enough to believe that he knows better?" he asked. "And you seem to agree?"

"Namo," Manwë warned. "Hear him out."

"He brought up some good points when he explained to Glorfindel," Oromë told him. "Galadriel and Celeborn agreed to a certain extent when Glorfindel talked to them. They thought they were possibly underestimating the work involved, and some of their logistics but that the plan had merit."

"So we are facing a second rebellion and theft?" Namo asked. "Planned by not only two we rewarded, but by at least some of the so called wise elves of Middle-earth."

"Actually, maybe a third fraction to deal with also," Oromë informed them.

"A third fraction?" Tulkas asked. "When did we lose such control of Aman?"

"Oromë?" Manwë asked in way of getting an explanation.

"I sense that the elves of Middle-earth will divide into two groups," he explained. "Elrond and those who agree or understand what he is doing on the one side; and others led by Cirdan who will not agree because the plan involves Elrond."

"Have we done Elrond that much damage by choosing to use him as our spy?" Varda wanted to know.

"I think this is a prejudice left over from what he endured in Endórë," Ulmo said entering the conversation. "I have sensed Círdan's prejudice for Elrond before now and have learned from my trips inland that it is shared by many. His choosing to be one of the Firstborn, then having the audacity to many and sire children and spreading his so called taint, offended them."

"Sadly, his mother's attitude toward him and the knowledge of it does not help matters," Irmo put in.

"Back to the matter at hand," Namo pressed in an acidy voice. "Exactly what did Elrond say that led you to believe that he might know better than me?"

"He stated that since we do not produce children, we cannot possibly know how to properly raise, nurture, and discipline an elfling's fëa," Oromë explained. "He gave examples that make sense to back up his beliefs."

"Such as?" Manwë asked intrigued despite himself.

"He stated that it was a grave mistake to put all of the fëa into one Hall together," he said. "And he said that he could feel that ones who were tainted were tainting others. Both he and Glorfindel said they could sense the age of fëa and how long they had been there. I was left with the impression that the fëa feel neglected and are angry."

"Is that all?" Namo snapped as his methods were brought into question.

"That and one of your Maia is making everything worse," Oromë said. "Elrond has no indication that he has turned his loyalties, just that he does not agree with your methods either, and is confusing and stirring up the fëa in a misguided attempt to help them."

"They sensed all of these problems from being in the Hall only a few minutes?" Namo stated. "I wonder who is being misguided now? And to think you would believe one who would stab his own brother."

"That is enough Namo," Manwë told him. "None like it when their methods are questioned in such a way but that is no reason for taking it out on Oromë."

"You're right," Namo conceded as he took a deep breath. "I apologized Oromë, and to everyone for my attitude."

"You are forgiven," Oromë said with a smile. "You should know that the stabbing was Glorfindel's idea. He told Elrond to use his healer's knowledge and not hit anything vital that would cause him to bleed out before being found. They needed a pliable alibi for Elrond's escape to keep his standing with the dark Maia and prevent suspicion."

"Why do I sense Ada's hand in that?" Varda said as some smiled and agreed with her. "Devious, but well planned."

"You said the elves of Middle-earth will break into two groups?" Tulkas asked for clarification. "They have already broken into three groups not counting this group of Glorfindel's."

"If the elves of Aman band move against those from Endórë, the elves of Middle-earth will band together into one group against them," Oromë explained. "They have fought together and intermarried too much to do anything but band together."

"Oromë is right in that regard," Ulmo explained. "The division will not come until Elrond's plan comes into the equation. Even then, they may stay as on group. They may not like Elrond, but they respect him and acknowledge he is a good leader."

They further discussed matters until everyone had a clear understanding of the situation. When everything had been settled between all, Manwë came to a decision.

"I will take the matter of the fëa to Eru," he told them. "Continue as you are doing things for now until we receive an answer. I will assign one to watch the Maiar who are assigned to the Hall of Children. We will see if anyone is stirring up trouble, and for what reason. I want watches put on Elaff, and Cirdan, and a list of their primary followers. Oromë, take Tulkas and hunt in the northern regions again. Do not hunt Elrond but do not jeopardize his place among the dark maiar either. He is not following Melkor as of yet and until I know for sure what is going on, I will not put our source of information in peril. We need to be more diligent in protecting those from Endórë before we have a civil war break out. There are few in Aman who can stand before their swords and survive despite what Ellaf and his followers think. I will have my eagles keep a watch on this sanctuary of Elrond's also."

After the others had faded away, Manwë appealed to Eru for guidance.

Celeborn sent many of his March wardens, under Haldir's command, to New Imladris as they were calling it. Galadriel had arranged for the craftsman, taking only a few families from different locations to keep from arousing suspicion. In an unexpected move, Celeborn went around and gathered up a group of children from Middle-earth whose parents resided in Mando's Halls, or had not sailed. He sent these along with the March wardens in an attempt to help Erestor ensure he had planned for all that would be needed, and to keep the children from the turmoil. Healers that Elrond had trained himself were also quietly dispatched to the sanctuary with their families.

While they were waiting for the next round of requests to come from Glorfindel, Celeborn and Galadriel made the decision to approach Thranduil. It took little discussion among them to realize that Elrond might have inadvertently shown them a way to defuse the situation here in Aman. Soon, they were meeting with others to plan realms of their own to the west. Even Cirdan agreed that the plan had merit and contributed to the discussions.

They planned realms where their families could live in peace. They split themselves into various groups according to their divisions in Middle-earth. There were only those from Imladris missing. It was at this point that many realized that something else was going on. Claiming that Elrond was responsible for the disappearances somehow, many called for his blood. Cirdan calmed them saying that the Vala would take care of Elrond, but that they must not divide themselves. Celeborn and Galadriel remained neutral on the subject. Glorfindel made no comment at all when it was noticed that he was the only former resident of Imladris still around.

Elaff saw that the Vala were doing little more than offering admonishments to his plans as they were slowly carried out. He had proven Ingwe's inability and unwillingness to become involved. He had already been able to pass bills through the different realms barring those presently on Tol Eressëa from leaving the island. He had arranged with the merchants to bleed them dry of their precious money and items by increasing prices caused by tariffs and carefully placed taxes. He had been able to ensure the passage of a bill that ensured that only Aman born teachers and Loremasters could educate elflings to ensure that the history of Middle-earth was distorted and destroyed. Overall, his rebellion was working well.

Now he decided was the time to take his plans to the next level. He decided to neutralize the youth and young adults of the Edorians by taking those who resided in Aman proper out in small groups. He planned to have them drafted to work for five years for the state to supposedly teach them responsibility to the realm. A similar plan was in place for those born in Aman but the conditions were to be vastly different. Amanians worked in public offices to teach them civic duties. The Edorians would be little more than slave labor assigned to the different fields and mines. Any who resisted their 'duty' would be detained in camps forcibly if necessary.

When the decree went out for the draft, there was much grumbling. The eldars of the Endórë chose to inform their people to ignore the draft. They sense that separating their young people from their families would lead to trouble. When none showed up at the draft stations, Elaff order his troops to go door to door rounding up any youth they saw regardless of age. Soon there was fighting as parents fought to keep their children. Many were injured, some seriously but none were killed. It gave Elaff the excuse he had been looking for to force the hand of the kings against the Endorrians claiming that another Kin slaying had to be prevented.

The Vala felt their hands being forced and stepped in to prevent bloodshed. They ordered all elves to stay in their homes while they tried to calm the situation. A cry went up from the Aman born that they were innocent. A return cry went up from those born in Middle-earth that they were the victims of greedy Amanians. A third cry of peace went up from those reborn, but it was ignored from both sides. When the plans of the Endórë born to build new realms of their own were revealed, Elaff and his people were furious. They appealed to the Valar saying they and not the tainted should be gifted such lands. Then Elaff made his first mistake. He taunted the Valar, asking how they could favor those who had done nothing but cause bloodshed and death. He accused them of being no better that Melkor if they agreed to give the lands to any but Amanians. He turned his back on the Valar claiming they would solve their own problems and ordered the captured children brought to Tirion.

Elrond watched from his place among the dark Maia as the upheaval began. He had avoided being caught in the many hunts now being conducted by both Oromë and Tulkas but just barely. Several times he was injured by one or the other but always he was allowed to escape. What remained of his group moved further west until they were near the outer boundaries that were guarded by Nienna and his Eärendil. Elrond felt uncomfortable being so close to the gates but it was not noticed as several others were also feeling this way.

Elrond listen and gathered all the information that he could. It was only rarely that he had the opportunity to it pass along. When he was near one of the Valar, he took the opportunity to pass what he knew on to them. When that was not an option, he used the tiny thread of the bond between him and Glorfindel. This was very taxing for him over such a distance and he had to be able to hide his weariness afterwards. Twice, he came close to giving himself away but was saved by interference from a Maia who preferred the form of a large white wolf. He began to think that maybe she was another who was not dark, but did not reveal his stance yet.

After his brother's attack, he was not sent into Tirion again. They understood that the two would not be able to work together and kept Elrond in the mountains. Instead, the dark Maia began to pick Elrond's brain about what would be needed to raise the fëa. He gave them what information he could and provided the plans for a fortress to raise the fëa in. When he was assigned to help build it, he was given a whole new series of lessons on how to use powers that lay dormant until then.

As Elrond became proficient in his power's use, the dark Maia began to notice the different limitation that had been placed upon him. They began to speak against these limitations and the darker among them tried to entice him to declare for their side by promises of full powers. Elrond acted like he was interested but wanted to wait until later to take advantage of the situation. They allowed him to stay neutral for now as they worked on gaining the declared allegiance of others like him but Elrond knew his time was limited now.

Soon the fortress was built and the waiting game began. Elrond watched from afar as civil war brewed in the east despite the attempts to stop it. When Elaff made his move to enforce the draft, then taunted the Valar about the new realms, the Maia gathered. Elrond had no time to warn anybody as they left for Mando's Halls. He still had not learned how the fëa were to be released and could only hope that he could warn his people before showing up on their doorstep.

Elrond and his wolf friend were placed with the group entering the Halls by the dark maiar. They alone of those gathered for the theft had not pledged their loyalty to Melkor and the maiar thought to force their hand by their participation. As the Valar were distracted by Elaff, Elrond could send no warning that would not be picked up by someone in the dark group. He was uncertain of his wolf friend's true loyalties but knew that he had no choice but to depend on her help if they were lucky enough not to be separated. It was a chance he would have to take.

He was surprise when they walked right up to Námo's Halls without being disturbed. One of the older ones explained that the Halls were designed to keep someone in, not out. Also, as they were Maia, they did not alert the inhabitants the way one of the firstborn might. He was astonished when he and his wolf friend were chosen as the ones to enter and open the pathway.

"It is why we have not pressed you to declare for our side. The building will sense that you are not one of us and let you pass," the eldest explained. "Once you two have entered and opened the building, we can follow."

Elrond nodded his head in understanding and followed his wolf friend to the entrance where the door easily opened for him. Propping it open, he kept going in a direction that would lead them towards the Hall of Children. He was surprised when he encountered no one and decided to take a chance. Leaning up against one of the walls, he directed a thought to it. He told it to let the Maia inside know about the dark maiar's entrance and to be careful. He knew not if his message would get through, but it was worth it to try. Looking behind him down the corridor, he saw the line of dark Maia following.

Leading them through the passageways, Elrond finally signaled that they were just around the bend from the Hall. He had already let the dark Maia know that the Hall was guarded so was not surprised when three others rushed forward and shot repeated energy bolts into the four Maia guards. Then, everyone was rushing into the Hall and trying to gather the fëa. They began leading them out with the older fëa helping the younger along. Elrond and his friend did a final quick search before following as the last ones were led out. As he passed the downed Maia, he quickly checked their injuries. One was still conscious, so he took a chance and left her with a quick set of coordinates that gave the location of two different fortresses the dark maiar had built. Then he headed towards the exit.

As they came past the corridor leading to the Hall of Dark Maiar, Elrond saw that their numbers had been increased greatly. These dark maiar were still in spirit form and he shuddered as he considered what their incarnate form would be. What scared him more was the power signatures coming from them. These maiar were truly old and many had been enhanced with a part of Melkor himself. Elrond knew that he was now out of his depth and that he would never be able to steal the elfling's fëa away with these additions to their group.

As he came to the door, he was surprised to see Selem trying to stop them by herself. He had known she would be somewhere in the Halls, but had hoped she would not make an appearance. She would be no match for the released maiar by herself. When she saw Elrond, she became angry and decided to target him.

"You traitor," she screamed at Elrond as she shot him with a bolt of lightning.

Elrond was so surprised by her actions that he did not move away in time and took the bolt directly in the chest. Crumpling to the floor, the last thing he saw before darkness enveloped him was four of the released maiar attacking Selem with fire bolts of their own. As Selem crumpled to join Elrond on the floor, the lead Maia order Elrond's wolf friend to carry him as he picked up Námo's' daughter and carried her out into the night with them.

As the Valar showed up in force to stop the coming bloodshed, Elaff ordered his troops to begin firing on those from Middle-earth who had stormed his detention center. He had ordered all of the youth collected placed in a big oil storage warehouse in Tirion for easier management. He had not foreseen that their parents would not only defy his orders, but fight to retrieve the offspring that had been taken. As the first arrow was loosed against them, the Endorians decision to patiently wait for the Valar to fix things disappeared. Once again the warriors of Middle-earth would fight to defend themselves, and assure their way of life.

As more armed warriors stormed the warehouse, Elaff's archers began to fire from the roof. They were surprised when most of the warrior's armor deflected the blows and the warriors kept coming as if nothing had happened. The archers fired again with no results before they began to panic. Taking advantage of finding material and barrels of oil stored on the roof, Elaff's troops began firing flaming arrows at the attacking warriors. Then someone decided to try and pour the burning oil down onto the troops below. This finally had a reaction as several of the warriors from Middle-earth caught fire. As they watched the warriors aflame below drop to the ground and roll, they thought they had found an idea weapon. They were surprised when most of the injured regained their feet and turned to fight again.

Some of those defending the warehouse began to realize they were fighting a losing battle. They were angry and decided to ensure that the youth below would not return to their families or become warriors to fight against them. They ordered holes to be made in the wooden warehouse roof and began pouring oil and other flammables down into the warehouse atop of the storage casks and youth below. As the opposing warriors began to storm up the outside stairs to the roof, flaming torches were thrown down the holes and the warehouse and those in it went up in flames.

The Endorians abandon their fight as they concentrated on rescuing their children. The screams of the burning youth filled their ears as Oromë appeared with his Maia and blasted the front of the warehouse apart. The Maia began bringing the burning elflings out as Estes appeared with her healers to treat them. When the fire was put out and all retrieved, it was discovered that 14 youth had died as a result of burns on top of the 20 archers of Elaffs. Another 57 elflings had suffered burns, many seriously. The horror of the situation drove the then neutral reborn into the Middle-earth camp.

As the warehouse fire was being cleaned up, a mental cry shrieked through the air to the Maia as their brothers and sisters in Mando's Halls came under attack. Then came an anger filled mental shriek from Selem as she attacked and was in turn attacked herself. Leaving the elves to finish dealing with the remnants of the warehouse fire themselves, the Ainur rushed to the Halls in an attempt to head off a greater crisis. They arrived to find the Hall empty and the defending Maia either unconscious or badly wounded. Horror swept through all as they learned that the Hall of Dark Maiar was empty.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: A Second Choice 11

Author: Amber

Beta: Oli  
Rating: PG  
Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel  
Disclaimer: I just borrow Tolkien's characters; I make no money off of them. Oli also provided the name Ellaf for me.  
Timeline: Fourth Age Aman  
Summary: Elrond discovers he has another choice.

The Valar and the Maiar converged on the Halls to find the attackers already gone. Namo did a quick check of his people to discover most injured or unconscious. As he and Oromë were bringing the maiar who had been guarding the Hall of Children to Este, the female guard regained awareness long enough to give them the coordinate Elrond had given to her. They in turn informed Manwë.

"Oromë, take Tulkas and your people, search the northern most fortress first. Do not attack or make any move against those you find there. We cannot afford to be distracted by an all out battle against them while the rebellion is trying to turn into civil war here," Manwë ordered when all of the injured were seen to. "I will assign some of my own people to replace those hurt."

"What of our daughter?" Valië asked.

"Namo, calm yourself enough to use your gift," Manwë ordered him. "See if you can locate her whereabouts."

"I have tried but can sense nothing," he replied. "Why can I not sense my own daughter?"

"I know not at this time," Manwë said as he tried to sooth the distraught couple. "Maybe your gift will not work on her. Eru sometimes does something like this for reasons we do not understand. Have patience."

"Is Glorfindel still in Lórien?" Aulë asked as he remembered the plan to steal the fëa from the dark Maia. He shuddered to think of the consequences to Glorfindel and the elves of New Imladris if they tried to claim the elfling fëa while the released dark maiar were present.

"Yes he is," Irmo said as he watched Oromë and Tulkas leave. "He is worried."

"Bring him here?" ordered Manwë.

Irmo disappeared and returned with a startled Glorfindel a minute later. Looking around Glorfindel realized that the fëa had been taken.

"Where are they, Glorfindel?" Varda asked.

"I do not know," came the honest reply. "Elrond was supposed to contact me once they left the Halls so we could prepare. I received no call from him."

"No would you have," said one of Námo's Maia. He had already been treated for his minor injuries and had edged closer to listen. "Selem tried to stop them at the doorway as they left. She called Elrond a traitor when she saw him and attacked him before being attacked herself by the released maiar. They were both unconscious when carried off."

"Released maiar?" Glorfindel asked stunned. "Surely they did not?"

"Yes they did," Manwë confirmed. "Whatever you do, tell your people to not attempt to take the fëa now. You are no match for the dark Maia regardless of what you think."

"The ones held in my Halls were taken while unconscious during the War of Wrath. They did not surrender themselves and have no interest in redemption. They are truly dangerous," Namo warned him.

"What of Elrond?" Glorfindel asked. "Will they be able to discern the truth behind his purpose?"

"We do not know," Manwë answered him. "Elrond is on his own for now. We have to resolve the rebellion before it degenerates into civil war and too many of the warriors we will need are residing here in the Halls."

Glorfindel was unhappy with the situation but did as he was told and ordered the people of New Imladris to stay in the valley and not retrieve the fëa if called. He himself had no intentions of obeying the Valar. Not only was his brother in greater danger and being abandoned for now, his love was captive too. He would see both of them freed.

Elrond's first sensation as he returned to consciousness was of his face being licked. Turning his head away, he slowly opened his eyes to see that he was back in his room at the fortress closest to the Doors of Night.

"Stay still," came a soft female voice as he began to move around some. "You were badly injured as we left. The elders think it is because of your mixed heritage that you are taking so long to heal."

Looking to his right side, he saw a beautiful golden haired female. As he looked into her eyes he realized that they were the same brilliant blue as his wolf friend. Was this she then, in elven form?

"Yes it is me," she confirmed with a smile.

"You look familiar," he told her. She only smiled at him then quickly changed back into wolf form as the door was opened.

"Ah, you have finally awakened," Tam, his tall friend from his first group said as he came in. "We are finally beginning to understand that your restrictions include many of the limitation of being in incarnate form."

Elrond just nodded as he watched Tam place a tray of soup and bread on the table beside the bed. Tam quickly ran his hand down Elrond's chest to evaluate his condition.

"You are healing," he said. "The process has been slow but you are healing at last. We wondered for a while if you would."

"How long have I been out?" Elrond asked as Tam fed him the soup.

"As the elves count time, it has been almost a month," came the surprising answer. At the confused look Tam explained further. "Selem, as Námo's daughter, is one of the Valar. She has greater powers than we do and turned their full force on you when she attacked. It is surprising you survived at all. The elders say you must have some power within you from your mixed heritage that helped you survive."

Elrond looked away as Tam told him this.

"Do not think less of yourself because you have been out so long," he said. "You can do things that we cannot because of your mixed blood. You are of great value to us."

"You have given your allegiance then?" Elrond asked as he watched his friend closely.

"No," he answered. "Like you I have not. But what difference does it make anymore? We both took part in the theft and release of the condemned maiar. For that alone we have condemned ourselves."

"Will you then?" Elrond had to ask. Tam would not answer him as he cleaned Elrond up and left.

"Be careful," warned Blue, his wolf friend who had been lying at his feet the whole time. "Not all is as it seems with him."

"Is it with you?" Elrond whispered.

Blue just changed her position until she was smuggled against his side before falling asleep. Elrond lay there trying to think of the changes brought about by his prolonged injury. Would he be able to fix any of the damage done by Selem's unexpected attack? Why had neither he, nor Glorfindel, thought to warn her away. What other mistakes had they made? Did it even matter now that those released had joined the group? More importantly, would he be able to keep his own loyalties secret? Elrond needed to think but sleep was pulling at him and he decided to surrender.

Blue was not by his side when he woke several hours later. Trying to rise up and leave the bed himself only resulted in making him dizzy and nauseous. Laying back down in defeat, he decided to access what his options were until Blue or Tam returned. It did not take him long to come to the conclusion that his plan to steal the fëa would never work now. He was not even sure he could minimize any damage done to the younger ones anymore. He could not risk contacting Glorfindel, and Selem thought him a traitor. He was reduced to worrying about keeping his true loyalties secret. Then he realized that even that would be impossible. Mithrandir had always seen through him when he pushed hard despite the lessons in keeping his mind closed. No, he would have to concentrate on knowing when to let his fëa flea to Ilúvator before they destroyed him.

Tam came in with more food several hours later and again fed him. Tam gave Elrond an update while cleaning him up and redressing him.

"The older fëa are coming along nicely," Elrond was told. "Many had been captured and made thralls in Thangorodrim. They are a great help with the younger fëa. The elders are admitting that you knew what you were doing when you designed the fortresses. Your plan for separating the fea according to age was correct also. They see that the younger fëa do not have the capacity to help until more mature. They will be given the proper guidance to ensure their future use."

"You were such a help to us," Tam commented. "Why did you decide to deceive us?"

"Of what do you speak?" Elrond asked trying to by himself time.

"They have captured Glorfindel," Tam explained. "They broke him and he told of your plan to steal the fëa for yourselves. Why were you trying to build your own army? The elders are angry that you deceived them and now you will pay the price. I had thought I taught you better than that. You could have become so much but now will be nothing."

"What will they do to me?" Elrond asked not even trying to save himself. If he could rescue his brother and Selem, he would be happy. He had known that he would probably not survive this scheme.

"I know not," Tam answered. "You still have not answered my question."

"I have no real reason, I just felt they would be better off with me," Elrond said leaning towards the truth.

Tam was surprised when he felt the honesty in the answer. He liked Elrond and did not want to see him destroyed but did not know if he could save him. Maybe if he approached the elders with a different plan. He knew they would destroy Glorfindel without question and try to find a way to destroy Selem also. Maybe that would satisfy there need for vengeance. Maybe offering Elrond to Melkor would save him. They had been taking listening and taking direction from their master through the void for years. If Elrond was offered to him, maybe their master could ensure his conversion. That would save him and anger the Valar like nothing. Tam resolved to take his idea to the elders.

Glorfindel had been captured almost as soon as he entered the western mountains. They had somehow known he would come after his brother and laid a trap for him. That he had been questioned by the released maiar had shocked him as he knew their anger. He grieved that he had not been able to hold out and finally broken, dooming not only himself but Elrond in the process. They had not asked about Selem so at least her downfall would not be laid at her feet. He was not sure how he would meet his fate. It was not a question that had ever occurred to Elrond or him. How exactly was a Maia destroyed? He did not even think he had every heard of any that were destroyed for those killed in Middle-earth were said to return to Eru for judgment.

His mind wondered over all these questions and more as Glorfindel lay on the floor of the cell. He tried to shut out the pain from his damaged body but only succeeded to a certain point. They had known of his fear of both fire and falling, and had utilized both to obtain the information they wanted. He could only hope he had not done too much damage to Elrond's standing if he had survived Selem's attack. He was finally willing to admit that maybe Cirdan had been right. They had not thought out everything or considered the consequences. They had surely forgotten to notify Selem that Elrond was working undercover among the dark maiar. Glorfindel just hoped that Selem would forgive them. They had been trying to do right.

He was so busy thinking while trying to ignore the pain that he did not notice the small mental nudge at first. Without thinking he pushed it away and ignored it. He did this several times before the nudge became a hard push that he could not ignore.

"Glorfindel!" it shouted at him.

"Selem?" he answered back cautiously as he tried to ensure himself of her identity.

"About time," she said back. "I have been trying to get your attention. What is going on besides the obvious?"

"Elrond and I forgot to tell you that he was working undercover within the dark maiar," Glorfindel began. "We were going to steal the elfling's fëa from the dark maiar once they had stolen them from the Halls. Seems we forgot to warn you."

"That explains so much," she answered. "I attacked him."

"I know, one of the other Maia form the Halls saw your attacked and told the Valar," he explained. "We had not anticipated that they would loose the dark maiar."

"They are in charge now," she told him.

"I know," he answered sarcastically. "I have just returned from sending time in with them."

"Are you hurt bad?" she wanted to know.

"I won't be going anywhere soon," he returned.

"They miscalculated when they took me," she told him. "I am more powerful than they think. I have been hurt but still have enough power to rescue us. Can you contact Elrond through your bond? I need to know where he is before I can get us out of here."

"I will try to find out," Glorfindel said as he sent her his love. Settling down and concentrating on keeping a tight control on himself, he tried to reach out to his brother.

"Elrond?" he tried. When he received no response so tried again. "Elrond, please answer me."

"Glorfindel," came the weak response. "You tempt much contacting me."

"Listen, Selem has been in contact," he told his brother. "She claims she is strong enough to get us out of here but we need to know where you are at."

Elrond did not answer him immediately. If Selem was that strong, maybe there was a chance she could rescue some of the fëa. At least the youngest.

"Glorfindel, listen to me," he called. "We are not important, if she can have her take the youngest fëa with her. They are at the northern fortress. Most of those brought here are the older ones. Many of them were thralls of Thangorodrim and have willingly gone follow the dark ones. They know not any better. It is the youngest we can save for they have admitted that I was right and they can do nothing with them as yet. They are not tainted yet. Tell her to take them to safety."

"I will not leave you brother," Glorfindel told him. "I will tell her to take the fëa first. If they are at the northern fortress like you say then her job becomes easier for that is were Manwë sent Oromë and Tulkas."

"If you have the chance, go with her Glorfindel," Elrond told his brother. "I love you and you deserve a chance at happiness."

"Elrond…" he began.

"No Glorfindel," Elrond cut him off. "There is little chance I will be able to escape. I am too closely watched. The fëa are more important."

"We will come back for you," Glorfindel told him.

"No, the fëa are more important," he explains. "Rescue as many as you can. There is another I will send to you. She is good and I would not see her hurt because of me. Take her with you if you can. She is a white wolf."

"Elrond," Glorfindel pleaded one more time. But his brother had cut the connection and Glorfindel knew it was not use. He relayed the information to Selem and they began planning their escape. It would have to be soon or there would be not chance.

Oromë and Tulkas had located the fortress Elrond had given them the coordinate to and set up a watch.

"These fëa appear to be the younger of the stolen," Tulkas said.

"Yes. Notice how there appears to be little being done with them," Oromë answered.

"Are you implying that they have discovered that Elrond was right," he asked.

"I believe he was right to a certain extent," Oromë replied. "It appears that the dark ones have found out that they cannot use these fëa as of yet."

"They will find a way if we give them enough time to corrupt them," Tulkas told him.

"Look," Oromë exclaimed. "Something is happening below."

"The maiar are under attack," Tulkas exclaimed in surprise.

"Tell Manwë, I am going to help," Oromë said as he disappeared with a group of his maiar.

They reappeared in the courtyard of the fortress below as Selem, Glorfindel, and a Maia in the form of a white wolf appeared with a group of the fëa. Oromë and his maiar stunned the dark maiar they saw and began helping Glorfindel herd the fëa towards the entrance.

"Is this all of them?" Tulkas asked as he and his maiar appeared on the scene.

"There is more below gathering the youngest," Selem called.

Suddenly, a group of dark maiar appeared in the middle of the courtyard as another group of fëa appeared in the courtyard. The fëa cowered in fear as energy bolts flew all around the area. Then, the rest of the Vala appeared with a contingent of Manwë's warrior maiar led by Eonwe. They disabled the dark maiar and carried them back to Mando's Halls where they were put into private cells that only Ilúvator had the power to unlock.

"You don't listen to well do you?" Manwë called to Glorfindel as he watched Namo crush his daughter in a hug.

"Elrond is still captive in the other fortress," was Glorfindel's only answer.

"He is on his own for now child," Manwë said gently. "That he gave up his chance for freedom to rescue the youngest fëa will not be forgotten. Let us leave this place now."

Manwë gathered the fëa into one giant force field and told everyone to follow as he disappeared. It was with great surprise that they reappeared in the little valley of New Imladris.

"I turn over the youngest fëa to your peoples handling with assistance from some of Namo and Irmo's maiar," Manwë began as he addressed Erestor, Celeborn, and Galadriel. They had come rushing from the house with many others at the commotion. "Eru had let it be known that Elrond was right and we cannot properly nurture the youngest and that it is best they stay here for healing. My warriors will help guard your valley. When the time comes, we will discuss what we will do with these little ones."

"I have healed many of Glorfindel's injuries," Este informed Manwë. "He will be able to stay here and heal the rest of the way."

"I wish to stay with him," Selem told her father.

"No Selem," Manwë cut in before Namo could throw a fit. "It is still too dangerous at this time. The dark maiar will be anger at the loss of the fëa and will attack again. You will come to my home and stay until things settle. Even they would not dare attack there."

"Do you wish us to watch the other fortress?" Oromë asked.

"Yes but keep your distance and shield yourself well," Manwë ordered. "They will be more alert more. Report back regularly."

Then they were gone. The elves of New Imladris set to work settling their new charges who suddenly had hoar for the first time in years. The sound of babies crying could be heard as younger elflings were carried to their respective chambers by whoever was nearest.

Elrond trusted his instincts and sent his friend the white wolf to find Glorfindel and report on his health. The uproar he heard shortly thereafter gave him hope and he prayed to Eru for their escape. It was with tears in his eyes that he heard from Tam later that they had been successful. His hoped his friend had gone with Glorfindel and Selem. He truly believed that she was good. Tam was upset in that he now feared that Elrond would pay the price for the others mistakes. Elrond assured him that it did not matter but knew that he did not understand.

It was the next morning when they came for him. Dragging him out of his room and into the courtyard, he was thrown on the ground before some of the released dark maiar.

"Your friend Tam believes that you can be converted to our side," one sneered. "We saw see."

"Bind him," another ordered. Elrond felt himself encircled with invisible bands that squeezed him tight. "You are coming with us."

Another Maia grabbed Elrond from behind. He felt a sense of disorientation and knew he was traveling through space but could not tell where. Suddenly, they reappeared beside the Doors of Night leading into the void.

"We have no need to go further and set off Manwë's alarms," one told Elrond as he was pushed before them into the middle of the doors. "Our master is strong enough to reach us here."

Elrond began screaming as a dark force assaulted his mind. Try as he might, he could not block Melkor out as his mind was raped for every shred of information in it. The torture went on and on even after Melkor had everything he needed. In the tiny part of his mind that sanity remained he realized that he was being tortured because that act alone made Melkor stronger. The twisted Vala actually gained strength when he caused pain and destroyed light.

"I think my brother has miscalculated," Melkor laughed. "You will be mine, child."

"Never," was all Elrond said before the pain began again. He knew not how long he screamed or suffered. He realized at one point that his physical body lay in a twisted heap, unconscious. His Maia part remained unmercifully coherent as he was tortured just for the fun of it. He could hear the twisted laughter of the dark maiar as he suffered. He lost all track of time as he suffered and repeatedly called out to Ilúvator for help.

"Where is your help, child," Melkor sneered. "Even Eru has abandoned you to me. Give up and embrace your destiny. Be mine."

Elrond was too weary to answer as the pain stopped for a few minutes. When he refused to acknowledge Melkor, the torture began again. The pain had been ongoing for a long time when Elrond began to feel his fëa coming apart. He prayed one last time to Ilúvator for his forgiveness in being unable to prevent Melkor's legions from taking the elfling's fëa. As he fëa came apart totally he felt himself collected by a great light and knew no more.

Far above where he had been ordered to stay by Ilúvator, Eärendil watched as the son he had discounted and pushed away suffered. Guilt ate at him as he realized the grave injustice done to this child who had asked for nothing from them. He wept as he was made to understand what true sacrifice was.

As he continued to watch through his tears he contemplated the difference in his three sons. Elros had become mighty but at the cost of his older brother's misfortune. Yes he had suffered, but he in turn had caused great suffering even after he had reached his majesty. Elaff, his youngest had lived a totally different life. Born in Aman, he was an elf from birth and knew nothing of the hardships his older brothers had faced. He had been spoiled shamelessly because they had lost the twins, and never disciplined. He had picked up the prejudges of others because his own parents had not censored him. Now, he had started a rebellion because of his fear and jealousy of an older brother who he only knew from rumors.

Then he thought of the firstborn he had all but ignored. Despite all of the pain and suffering at the hands of both his parents and brothers, he had turned out well. He was a gifted healer and Lore master. He had been an exceptional warrior before swearing on oath to never take up the blade again. He had spent his whole life aiding others while suffering from others prejudge and mistrust against him. Never had he asked or demanded more than to be allowed to live. Elrond had been rewarded for his sacrifices by being granted Maia status and still his own family had ignored him.

Eärendil considered that of his three sons, only Elrond had led a life he could be proud of. As he watched Melkor tear apart his son's fëa before him, he vowed to stop Elaff. It was time he became the father he should have been from the beginning. He prayed to Eru for his forgiveness of his treatment of Elrond, and his blindness in his favoritism of his two other sons. He would ensure that his firstborn's pain and suffering was not in vain. It was time he started acting like the father he should have been. If only it had not taken Elrond's suffering and death to make him realize this. Turning away, he could watch no more as his son's fëa was ripped to shreds.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: A SECOND CHOICE 12

Author: amber

Beta: Oli

Rating: G

Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel

Disclaimer: All main characters are Tolkien's except Elaff; I am only borrowing them.

Summary: Elrond arrives in Aman to find he has a second choice.

"It is past time we move away from the cities and as far west as possible. If nothing else, this tragedy has proved that we cannot live together at this time," Galadriel stated to the emergency counsel. The meeting of the returnees counsel had been called after the burial of the elflings burned by Elaff's troops. "We need to leave as soon as we can."

"I believe you are right but we can not just pick up and leave in the middle of the night," Cirdan admitted in shame as he finally acknowledged that they could not peacefully integrate with the elves of Aman; not after the deaths of the younglings.

"Why not?" Thranduil interjected. "How is it any different than what we have had to do before? We have all had to move on a moment's notice and find new homes for ourselves, most of us more than once. This is no different except in that it is our own brethren chasing us away instead of Melkor or Sauron. And you forget that some of our people have already done it recently."

"Thranduil is right," Celeborn said to stop the budding arguments from going any further. "We all have experience in moving and building new homes at need. We just never expected we would have to do it here. The Valar let us move to the main land after we learned how to live without the taint of Melkor in our lives. It has been quite clear for some time now that those of Aman still think us tainted regardless of what the Valar say. I for one am tired of living with their snide remarks and biased rules."

"None of us should have to live with what is going on. That the Valar intervened on our behalf, not Elaff's, says much," Galadriel agreed.

"Yet it also says not enough," Finrod said as he entered the room with several others. "You will not be alone in going west. Many of us who have been reborn are also still discriminated against and wish to go with you."

"We have talked amongst ourselves and have agreed to follow you," Elwë said as he came forward. "The Valar have given me a map which shows the lands to the west. We have drawn up boundaries for several kingdoms on it. You will find that most reborn are agreeable to living under the rule of one of the last four kingdoms of Middle-earth and their rulers."

"And those who are not?' Thranduil asked.

"There will be two other kingdoms for now," Elwë said. "I will rule one consisting mostly of those who died before Doriath fell."

"And I will rule the other," Finrod told them. "It will have mostly Noldor."

"Who will rule New Imladris?" Cirdan asked the counsel. "Glorfindel?"

"The kingdom was set up in Elrond's name and that is how it will stay," Celeborn injected.

"Elrond is a renegade," Cirdan snapped. "The Valar are hunting him."

"Not all is as it seems Cirdan," Melian explained as she came to stand beside her husband. "The Valar trust Elrond still and acknowledge his leadership of New Imladris."

"If this is to be done, we must agree between ourselves. Elrond's status is just one of the many items that we must be agreed on," Finrod said as he turned to Cirdan. "If you cannot agree to his leadership, then it would be better if you stayed behind in Alqualondë.

"The Valar know of the dissention between the sons's of Eärendil," Melian explained hoping to sooth some of the disquiet. "The fault does not lie with Elrond, but with Elwing. He should not be made to pay for her mistakes. Many were unknowingly tainted by her views including Elaff. He has his own mistakes to pay for but that is within the Valar's purview. Come now, let us make our plans to leave and build new homes. There is much healing that needs to be done and it cannot start until this move is complete."

They grudgingly agreed and turned to begin. They were all surprised at how smoothly everything fell into place once they started and soon it was done except for the finer details which could be worked out later.

He felt nothing as he floated in the darkness. He did not know where he was but he did not care as he felt nothing. The pain of Melkor raping his mind and pulling his fëa apart had been terrible but he felt nothing now as he floated in this place. He wished he could stay here but something inside told him it would not be allowed. So he waited as he enjoyed the numbness.

'It is time to complete your task, little one,' came the gentle voice to his fëa. 'You must return and save the others.'

'Can I not stay here longer?' Elrond asked the One. 'Just a little longer?'

'My innocents can not wait much longer for you to rescue them,' came the insistent voice. 'Only the younger ones were freed. The others still need your help.'

'I do not want to return,' Elrond told the One. 'It hurts too much.'

'Sometimes life hurts, but you can use the lessons to grow,' came the insistent voice again. 'I am well pleased with all you have done so far.'

'Where and how will I wake?' Elrond asked in resignation as he once again prepared to do as the One asked.

'I will return you to your hoar,' came the reply. 'Use the lessons you have been taught to heal it and regroup. Come, it is time.'

Elrond felt a wave of extreme love pass through him as he was hugged before everything went blank.

Eärendil confronted his wife that morning when he arrived back home.

"We have errored in our judgment," he started. "We have wrongly abandoned our firstborn to his detriment."

"He was tainted and strange from the start," Elwing said defensively. "It was better that our time was spent on first Elros, then Elaff. Elrond does not deserve our attention. Even the Valar are after him."

"You know not of what you speak," he replied venomously. "Elros was a selfish boy who did not change as he grew to manhood. He used Elrond as a target until Maedhros interfered, and then chose any who did not agree with him as targets. His arrogance was handed down thru his children, and their children, ultimately destroying them all."

"That is not true," she said in Elros's defense. "Eonwe proclaimed him a king by divine right while ignoring Elrond completely. If the Valar refused to acknowledge Elrond's worth, why should we?"

"Because we are his parents," he shouted back. "It was our job to see to our children."

"That was rather hard when they were taken away from us," she shouted back.

"But they weren't taken, were they?" he pressed on. "We both abandoned them to whatever would happen."

"We did not plan on what happened," she tried to argue. "I did not know the Fëanorians would attack."

"Did we not?" he asked as the fire went out of him. "We knew keeping the Silmaril was trouble. We made no plans for our children's safely. What happened to the twins was as much our fault as any ones. Besides, the riff between the twins occurred long before we left them."

"I know not of what you speak," she said in denial of his last statement.

"Do you not?" he asked as his anger burned again. "Was it not your decision that you could only feed one of them? Did you not choose to feed Elros, leaving Elrond to various wet nurses rather than alternating them? How many times did you choose to take Elros with you while Elrond was left behind?"

"No…" she started to deny.

"Yes," he interrupted. "And I am as much to blame as you because I saw it and did not stop it."

"He was strange, tainted from birth," she repeated in her own defense.

"No, you were jealous," her husband said as a flash of insight came. "His Maian blood burned bright from the moment of his birth and you were jealous."

"I was not," she denied.

"I remember you saying you wished you had inherited some of your grandmother's power so that you could change things," Eärendil reminded her. "You were jealous because Elrond was born with these powers while you were not. You punished him from birth because of this. But what is worse is that not only did I not stop you, I ignore it. Others also picked up on your attitude and treated him accordingly. We made his life a living nightmare when it did not have to be."

"That still has nothing to do with Elaff," she said as she tried to change the subject rather than admit the truth.

"It has everything to do with Elaff," her husband corrected. "Elros dismissed him as unimportant instead of being the brother he could have been. He told lies and poisoned Elaff's mind about Elrond. We both refused to acknowledge Elrond leaving Elaff to believe Elros's lies. When word began to circulate here in Aman about what a great healer and leader Elrond was, you refused to believe it claiming he was taking the credit for others work or saying he was hurting others for the acclaim. Elaff believed you and grew jealous when he was not talked about in the same glowing terms as his older brothers."

"That is not true," Elwing tried to counter.

"Yes it is, and you know it," he forcefully told her. "We have both spoiled Elaff and set no limits on his behavior. We barely taught him right from wrong. When Elrond returned he was given the option to embrace his Maian blood, Elaff became jealous seeing it as a status symbol. You know he has always been status conscious and unsure of his place despite the way he is treated. Elrond being elevated to Maia was like a slap in the face for him. Why do you think he started this war?"

"Elrond started the war, not Elaff," she said in correction.

"Elrond has not even been around to be part of this war let alone start it," he said in surprise. "Do you hate your own child so much as to blame something of this magnitude on him when he is innocent?"

"You would blame Elaff," she shouted back.

"He is at fault," he returned in anger. "He is the one trying to take over the government and make those from Middle-earth slaves. These are our own people he is trampling on and you care not."

"I refuse to listen to this. You are wrong, it is Elrond's fault," Elwing said as she left the tower to run away from him.

"Leave her," Eonwe said as Eärendil tried to follow. "My masters know who is truly at fault. She is not ready to admit the truth to herself let alone others. Until that time there is nothing you can do."

"I can not let this go on," Eärendil tried to explain. "I have been blind to the truth and my inaction has hurt many who were innocent. How can I make amends?"

"You have already started," a voice said from behind him as Namo came forth and revealed himself. "Elwing needs to spend time by herself to contemplate what she has done. My servant Maranwë will take her to Lórien where she can live and contemplate what she has done."

"And what of my son?" he asked. "What will become of Elaff?"

"He will be dealt with when the time comes," Namo answered. "You ask not of Elrond that is telling."

"I saw Melkor tear his fëa apart," Eärendil said. "There is no hope there."

"Maybe you should spend more of your time aloft sailing amongst Eru's wonders," Namo said with a frown. "You obviously need some time in contemplation yourself if your firstborn's fate meant so little to you. Eru protects his own, I will have you know, which is good for Elrond's sake. It seems only those of his Maian family are the ones that truly care for him still."

Eärendil grimaced as he realized the truth of the Doomsman's statement. He argued not as Eonwe escorted him back to his ship and left directions that he was not to return until bid to.

"We must stop them," Elaff shouted at his staff as he paced around the council chambers. "Why did the warriors panic and give in? Why did they not wait for reinforcements?"

His counsel did not answer him as they watched him pace. It had been a shock to them when the reborn had suddenly left their state of neutrality and joined forces with those from Middle-earth. They had not made plans for if that happened. The deaths of their warriors and the elflings did not bother them as much as they saw both of those groups as disposable. They were unsure of where all of this would lead them though.

"So what do we do now?" ventured one of the junior generals when no one else showed signs of stopping Elaffs rant.

"We change our tactics," Elaff answered as he was brought up short. "While all of the attention is on the Moriquendi and what happened to their children, we take out Arafinwë. Once we have replaced him and settled everything there, we can go after Olwë. It is time to replace those who will be sympathetic to the reborn and those from Middle-earth."

"What about Ingwe?" one of the senior counselors asked.

"He will not intervene any time soon, and by the time he decides to become involved it will be too late," Elaff answered. "The Vanya have always lived in a world of their own, only caring for what the Valar think and little else. It is time we took control of Aman since it is our home. Why should we let a small group who are disinterested in the rest of us control us. I think that once they see we have control of everything and can run it properly, they will cede control of the high kingship also."

"Our people in Tirion are ready and await your signal," the general in charge of this group told them.

"Good, I want to go at dawn in two days time," Elaff ordered as he looked at the others in the room. Most were young Amanian born men. They had been born into privileged houses only to discover that there was little advantage to be had in a world that was stagnate. When the reborn had begun to appear, they had slowly taken over the few openings still in existence because of their experience leaving no future for the younger Amanian generations. Trouble had been brewing then, and Elaff had decided to make the most of it. The elders needed to retire and make way for them. The reborn needed to learn their place of sufferance below everyone else. Then the Moriquendi had begun to arrive making everything worse. If they had stayed on Tol Eressëa it would not have been so bad but the Valar had declared that they were ready to integrate into Aman. No thought was given to the fact that they were not wanted. No thought was given to the fact that there was no place for them or jobs. Their arrival had only made everything worse.

Elaff also took it as a personal affront when his no good older brother had arrived. You would have thought he had learned he was unwanted by now. From what he had heard, even many of those from Middle-earth did not accept him. He should have just died instead of having them proclaim him a hero of Middle-earth. Was Elrond so dumb that he could not recognize the truth or was it as his mother said and he was tainted from birth by Morgoth? Why could the Valar not see this taint? Why did they choose to make Elrond a Maia instead of him? He had the same blood despite being born here. If anything, he was the untainted one who should have been rewarded and elevated.

But the wrongs could be corrected. He had been happy when the group of Maiar had approached him with the idea of change. They could see that the Valar only cared for a select few and left the others to flounder. They had known and admitted that Elrond was tainted and should have been destroyed instead of being made one of them. Unknown to others they had trained him and offered ideas to help him. If he could pull off taking over the kingships of Arafinwë and Olwë, they would openly join him and told him the other Maiar would follow. After he had succeeded, even the Valar would admit that he had done what was needed. And then he would have them destroy his brother so that his mother did not suffer his existence anymore.

"I will return to my mother's tower until you secured everything," he told his troops. "Our friends think that having you approach me there, and asking me publicly to take over the government you have just toppled, will make the transition seem more acceptable to the people. We will take their advice since we want this to go smoothly. Do not worry, we are not becoming their pets like the Vanyar are the Valar's pets. We can bring the Maiar to heel after we have secured the first two thrones. Remember, they are just servants who need direction.

The meeting broke up after a few questions on inconsequential things and Elaff returned to his mother's tower. He was surprised to find it empty as his mother made a point of being home for him. It was even more surprising to see that his father was not home resting. He wondered where everybody was but finally settled down to take a nap while he waited for them to come home. As he dosed off he did not see Eonwe and several of his warriors ring the tower.

Glorfindel laid his head against the back of the chair he had fallen into and was almost asleep when Erestor shook him awake.

"You must eat something first," his friend said as Lindir set a plate of vegetables and meat before him. "Even now you must refuel your body."

"I am just so tired," he remarked as he reached for a small loaf of bread from the basket on the table. "You would think after helping raise Elrond's elflings and many fosterlings that I would have the knack of this now but I do not see how he did it."

"It is never as easy as it looks," Melian said as she joined them at the table.

"My lady," they said with small bows even though they were too tired to rise.

"What news?" Erestor asked as he passed the bread basket along with a jar of preserves.

"They are coming," she said between bites. "Elwë and Finrod finally convinced the reborn to join the others. They will pull out in three separate groups within days of each other. I have brought some more Maiar to help you as you will be loosing some of your people. They will be sent ahead to start what is needed."

"And?" Glorfindel prompted.

"They agreed to the idea of five separate kingdoms not counting New Imladris. You will remain an independent kingdom of your own, just farther north and west then the others" she told them. "They have acknowledged Elrond's leadership here."

They all gave a sigh of relief when they heard that for they knew it must not have been easy to secure that concession. Now if they could just get everything under control with the fëa.

"Namo is sending along a group of my brothers and sisters to learn how you raise these children," Melian said cautiously to keep them from exploding. "Eru has let it be known that the fëa of those left behind will not be coming here for your people to deal with. They will be tainted so much that they will have to go to the halls."

"But they do not know how to help them," Glorfindel shouted as he rose to pace. "That is what led to this whole mess to begin with. These elflings need help not imprisonment."

"That is why Namo is sending some of his people here, to learn," she said as she tried to sooth him. "We will not make the same mistake twice."

"What about Elrond, where is he?" Glorfindel asked as he sat back down. "He has blocked me out where I cannot feel him."

"I know not what has happened to my great-grandson," she began as the others watched her. "He was taken to the doors of night after you escaped with the younger fëa. Our source says that Morgoth can reach through the doors with his spirit to a certain point. He said that Elrond was immobilized and tied to a post within Morgoth's reach. He was tortured as a way to get him to cross to their side. We have had no word since then."

"He will let himself be destroyed before he turns his back on Eru," Glorfindel said quietly. "I do not want to loose my brother."

"There are many who wish to not loose him despite what you think," she said quietly while trying to sooth him. "Come, you all must sleep tonight for tomorrow you will loose some of your help. My friends and I will watch over the elflings tonight."

"What of Elaff?" Erestor asked as they rose to retire. "We heard there was some trouble but were not able to gather more information."

"He has made his move and it has cost both sides some lives," she answered as all those around listened. "We suspect he will go after the kingships next."

"And this will be allowed?" Erestor asked.

"I will not allow it," Glorfindel cut in. "No self important orc spawn like him is going to rule in Aman. I will not allow it. I will see him in the Halls first."

"That is not your decision to make Glorfindel of Gondolin and Imladris," came the cold voice of the Doomsman behind him.

"No, you only let the worthy and innocent suffer," he shot back taking no heed of who he was talking to. "Elrond is worth hundreds of that spoiled troll but he is only persecuted and abandoned. Where is the justice in that?"

"You are loosing your trust in Eru child," Namo said carefully to keep the warrior from snapping. He did not know if Glorfindel realized exactly how powerful he was now that he was Maia and did not want to take a chance of anyone getting hurt if he snapped.

"No Namo, you are wrong," he answered. "I have only lost my trust in the Valar to oversee things. I was told after being reborn that the Valar did not interfere unless it broke the peace, but I see different. I see that you only interfere when it suits something you want."

Namo started to speak again but was cut off.

"That is enough," Manwë ordered as he stepped into the light. "We have been remiss in our duties but it was not done callously. We wanted you elves to be able to solve your own problems amongst yourselves without being involved. We are not supposed to rule here, only guide you."

"You have done a real good job," Glorfindel said as he was pulled into Manwë's arms.

"You must learn to not expect everyone to live by your high standards," the Vala laughed as he tried to sooth his Maia. "You must also learn to forgive. Yes we let everything get out of control but it was in the hope that the elves could resolve it themselves. I think we also expected too much too soon from you and Elrond."

"You also did not consider Elrond's family in this did you?" Glorfindel asked.

"We considered his relationship with Celebrían but not his relationship with his parents or brothers," Manwë acknowledged. "We have come to understand that that was a grave error and has led to many of the problems occurring now although it is not totally to blame. We will have to address the issue of his relationship with his parents and brothers after all has been fixed and settled."

"So he lives?" Glorfindel asked. "Why can I not feel him?"

"He has been returned to my halls," Namo explained as he came up beside them. "He will need time to work through what has happened but he will be alright."

Manwë hugged Glorfindel close when he almost collapsed in relief. Taking advantage of the situation, he gently pushed him into sleep and turned him over to one of the Maia to put to bed.

"We were wrong about so many things," Namo began pensively.

"Yes we were and in our arrogance we hurt many," Manwë replied. "It is a hard lesson but one that hindsight tells me was past due. We have much work to do to fix the problems we have created and regain the peoples trust."

"A counsel them?" Namo asked as they slowly walked through the hallways and checked on the elflings.

"Yes, we must work to correct the wrongs done and ensure they do not happen again," Manwë answered.

"But how do we solve the problem of Elrond?" the Doomsman asked. "We thought making him a Maia would prevent this and all it did was make it worse."

"I think it is more of a case of we took what Eru wanted and stove to make it for our purposes," he said as he thought. "As for the problems of Elrond's family, I know not what to do or who to blame at this point. Some is our fault but not all for his parents also are at fault as well as others."

"Can the problems be solved or will he be hurt more?" Namo finally asked as he dreaded the answer.

"You can answer that question better than I," came the answer as the two faded away.


	13. Chapter 13

Title: A Second Choice 13

Author: Amber

Beta: Oli

Rating: G

Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel

Disclaimer: All characters owned by JRR Tolkien. I am just borrowing them for now.

Summary: Elrond sails to Aman, thinking he knows his fate.

Elaff sat in his father's study and planned his next move as he waited for his Naneth's return. While not everything had worked out the way he wanted, much had. He was actually amazed at how little attention his plans had garnered from the Valar. He had expected them to step in before now and at least inquire into what he thought he was doing. His allies to the north had managed to distract them quiet well. He was a little uncomfortable not knowing their plans, but figured it did not matter. They had promised to leave the elves to him and had so far stuck to the bargain. Now if he could pay them with the Simaril like they asked, all would be set. He would be High King faster than planned at this rate.

After years of watching his father Eärendil as he came home to take his rest, he knew it would be no problem to steal the jewel. Unlike other elves, he had no illusions as to how to treat such a touchy stone. He had gone so far as to build a small holding box from the melted down metal used to make their original vault in Formosa. He had also acquired a set of Fëanor's left behind forge clamps to handle the Simaril with. If he did not touch the jewel, it could not give away who had taken it. In the morning when both of his parents had retired for the day, he would take the jewel and deliver it to the dark Maia who awaited the delivery further up the coastline. The cursed jewel would no longer cause pain and suffering to the elves.

As he continued making plans, he was interrupted by one of his messengers. He signaled the young one to speak.

"Reports are coming in from the various towns and cross-roads. The Endorrian elves have disappeared from the area. Reports from further west report sightings of small groups crossing the mountains and entering the deep forest

Namo watched Elrond as his spirit slept while floating around the corridor that he had used when he first came to the Halls. He had wondered why the corridor had not disappeared upon his rebirth as was normal but not asked questions. Now, as he watched the scenes from what Elrond had recently been through play out in the windows lining the walls, he knew. He also acknowledged that more healing needed to be done than time allowed.

"He is unique to himself," Nienna said as she appeared behind her brother. "None other has so willingly allowed Eru to use them so harshly without rebelling even a little. I have cried many tears with him as he accepted the many pains of his fate."

"I blamed him for what happened in my Halls," Namo explained knowing his sister would understand. "I still am not sure that what he is proposing to do with the elfling's fëa is correct but am willing to admit now that maybe my handling of the situation was wrong."

"You did what you thought best," she said soothingly. "It is not your fault you did not know how to handle the situation. Remember, even those children born to us come with more growth and knowledge than these children of Eru."

"Eru has ordered he be given a new hroa when the sun rises next," Namo said quietly.

"So soon!" his sister cried in reply. "He is not ready."

"No he isn't. I only hope he can do what he needs to do before the injuries to his spirit become too great for him to handle. Even our kind need time to heal after being injured," he replied as they left the corridor.

Glorfindel and the elves in New Imladris had their hands full with the rescued elflings as the elves from other realms began to leave to join in the creation of their new homes. The Maiar from Mandos, and Lórien, had arrived that morning to relieve the elves but were still too new to the job of raising elflings to be left on their own. Glorfindel would be glad when his new brothers and sisters began to learn how to interact with everyone. As a precaution, he had imposed a quota on the new realms for personnel to help with the fëa. It would help solve his problems for now but he regretted loosing those already here.

He had been glad to be able to pass on the information to those passing through that Oromë and Tulkas were sending out patrols of their people into the areas chosen to be settled. The elves would be able to set up their realms without having to fight dark Maiar and creatures at the same time. Ulmo had even supplied a contingent of his people here in the river flowing through New Imladris to patrol and raise the alarm if they were attacked by dark Maiar or Ellaf's people. Their security was set, now they just needed the valley to settle. Though how it was even going to do that with everyone using it as a way station to the other new realms was beyond him. The other realms were further south and not as far west as he thought. Maybe it was the fëa's presence attracting everyone and not the need to actually travel here to reach their destination. He would have to see that extra security was set up if that was the case. He did not need distraught parents trying to claim children who were not ready to be released.

He smiled as he watched a frazzled Lord Erestor hurry through the halls with his arms full of files and paper. He chuckled at the curses the counselor tried to muffle as he struggled to see that the valley ran as smoothly as possible. He thanked Eru that Gildor had felt strongly the need to build extra warehouses and store extra goods. It seems that perhaps Eru had only been waiting for the right time and people to be in place before he had taken matters into his own hands. Everyone had always wondered how Elrond had managed to do everything smoothly, now they were realizing that he delegated everything and just stayed on top of who was doing what. It helped that Elrond had been persuasive enough that few told him no. Erestor was not so lucky. There was also the fact that the twins, while not around much, had spelled their father when they were around. They both would be glad when all of this was over and Elrond came back to run things.

That thought produced a wide smile on Glorfindel's face as he made his way to the study to help Erestor. He had been devastated when he felt his brother's pain, and had collapsed when he felt his spirit ripped apart. Luckily, Celeborn and Galadriel had been passing through at the time. They had coaxed him through the pain until he had regained control of himself before moving on with most of their people yesterday. The emptiness he had felt since that moment had vanished this morning. He knew without asking that his brother had returned from where ever he had gone. It was only a matter of time before they were together again.

Ellaf's temper was so bad that those following him were scared to be in his presence. He had been forced to return to his base outside of Tirion to oversee things when his parents had not returned to the tower. The takeover of the Noldorean government had not gone as smoothly as they had been assured it would. Somehow, Arafinwë had known they were coming. They had met resistance as soon as they entered the city and not even been able to make it to the palace. Most of his troops had died fighting rather than face the wrath of the Valar when they realized they could not win. It had been such a waste of his troops. If they had not already died in battle, Ellaf would have personally killed the generals in charge.

To his advantage, they had managed to take over the half of the city that housed the markets and supply warehouses. All of the roads into the city were also in their control. It was only a matter of time before Arafinwë would have to surrender and he became King of the Noldor. His people had already convinced the outlying cities to bow to Ellaf; Arafinwë had no way of knowing just how precarious his situation was. He would punish the younger son of Finwë by destroying those children of his who had been returned from Mandos Halls. They were worthless nobodies anyway except for Prince Findaráto. He knew the prince would never bow to him and had ordered the prince destroyed on site. Hopefully, the ones left in charge would not be as incompetent as his previous generals.

The couriers from the Teleri lands arrived bloodied shortly after the noon meal. They reported that while they had been able to take the city, the royal family and other Lords had not been there. None they had questioned knew where they had gone. Ellaf wasn't happy with the situation but it was much better than what had happened in Tirion. He sent off messengers placing his waiting people in positions of authority and they began changing everything to their form of government. The process of rounding up all of the reborn and migrants from Middle-earth had already begun. They were all being placed in heavily guarded camps with the children being sent to the mines.

He had already received reports from Tol Eressëa that for some reason the island was almost bare. Sometime over the last week, most of the inhabitants had disappeared without anyone knowing where they went. He was sure it was just a matter of time before his interrogators learned the truth of the matter. It had made conquering the island easier but it unsettled Ellaf that so many of those from Middle-earth were no longer accounted for. If he had his way, they would all be made into slaves to serve the more worthy ones who had stayed behind. Those not born in Aman were beneath him, and worthy of no respect. Either way he thought, I now control three of the kingdoms.

Ellaf hoped that his spies in Ingwe's court reported good news when they checked in several days from now. He knew that the High King had made rumblings about retiring and turning over his rule to his son. If Ellaf had his way, it would be him who the Kingship went to instead. Then he could implement the rest of his laws and ensure the future for those who were worthy. It was time the older generation admitted how much they had messed everything up and retired to let his new generation fix their mistakes. He did not expect the Valar to interfere in his affairs again, they had taken a hands-off approach long ago after the disaster of the War of Wrath, and he expected it to continue. He should have suspected they would come to answer the cries of elflings as they always had. They would leave him alone to fix the existing problems as long as no more elflings were hurt. If his troops had only concentrated on the people outside of that warehouse instead of inside, much of this could have been avoided. They had paid with their lives when they made their mistake but he would not tolerate such incompetency again.

Ellaf smiled as his servants began to set the table for dinner. He had left a message inviting his Naneth when she returned so he could share the next phase of his plans with her. One day soon he would see her installed in one of the palaces as she deserved. That tower the Valar had allowed the Teleri to build for her in such an isolated area was not good enough. Soon he would prove to her that he was just as good, if not better, than her beloved Elros. Soon she would see that no mere mortal could ever compare to him and he would not have to prove himself any more. After all, he could assure her that the hated Elrond was already disposed of complements of his Maian friends.

Elrond woke with the rising of Arien to find that he was sleeping in a bed in Lórien. Assessing himself, he realized that he was healed physically. He could tell that he was not healed totally mentally but trusted in Eru to support him until he could return to Mandos for the time he needed. Rising and dressing himself in the clothing on the chair beside the bed, he then ate the small meal left for him on the table. Finally exiting the pavilion, he found Olórin grooming a grey Mearas in the front yard.

"He will take you where you need," was all his Maian mentor said as he helped Elrond onto the horse's back.

"I go to New Imladris first, then north," Elrond explained. Olórin just nodded in acknowledgement as he watched him ride away.

'He goes to check on the children they rescued first before trying for the others,' he sent to Manwë as he stood watching.

'Follow him," came the Elder King's reply. 'He wants Glorfindel with him for what he has to do next. He will not take him if he is not assured that some one can care for the elflings now in his charge.'

'He would trust me enough to leave the valley in my command?' Olórin asked in surprise.

'No, he will leave Erestor in charge,' came the thoughtful answer. 'He will see your presence an assurance from me of safety for the valley. It is an assurance I will readily give.'

Olórin nodded his understanding as he called a Mearas to him that could have been Shadowfax's twin and caught up to Elrond. He might as well keep him company on the two day ride to the West. Besides, if he was going to be helping with New Imladris, he would need to know what Elrond wanted done in his absence.

The outlying guards had just sent in a message that another large group of those traveling to the new realms would be here before dark when Glorfindel received the call from his brother. Listening closely to the detains Elrond imparted, he signaled Erestor to let him know another group was coming in and wrote a number down on a paper so he could order rooms to be made ready.

"And Erestor," he called to the dark haired counselor before he headed out the door. "Order up a welcoming feast; our Lord is traveling with them.

Erestor gasped in pleased surprise before hurrying out to spread the joyous word. The attitude in the valley shifted from frantic and worried to joyous, and a sense that all would be alright. The Master was coming home.

After the feast and spending time in the celebration hall, Elrond made rounds of the house and healing wings. He issued orders to simplify the care that was ongoing and gave words of encouragement to his Maian brothers and sisters as they strove to learn how to care for elflings. He was much amused at some of their comments but left them knowing all was going to be well. He turned in for the night thinking that it was nice to spend a night in his own bed for a change. Actually, it was the first night his had spent in his own bed in years. It was too bad it wouldn't last he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, he took a tour of the grounds and surrounding area to ensure that everything was working as it was suppose to. He made a few minor changes and suggestions before heading into the house for his morning meal. He used the remaining morning hours to reach out to his people and let them know he still cared. He spent some time giving his brother and sister Maia directions on the care of newborns and children as well as calming their fears as to their abilities in this area. They laughed in relief when he explained that many new parents felt overwhelmed but that others were almost always around to direct them. He also stressed the importance of living as the Elder do while they worked in this capacity.

"Our children learn much by watching us move and interact," he explained to them. "Many learn by imitation of what we do.

His brothers and sisters took his words to heart and realized that it would make their lives easier. They also admitted that they still had much to learn. Agreeing, he led them to lunch where they watched as he socialized with both his family and other of the valley. After the meal, he returned to his study where he met with his senior counselors.

"I go north tomorrow to try and rescue the other elflings," Elrond explained to them. "They will have suffered much damage to their fëa from the dark Maiar and will need to be kept separate from the others until they can be evaluated."

"Will we be keeping all of them here?" Erestor asked as he tried to plan where to put them.

Elrond looked at Glorfindel as he realized that his brother had told them nothing about the condition of these young ones.

"Most of these young ones will be going to Namo," he told them. "That is one of the reasons so many Maiar are here helping, so they will know what must be done with the fëa to help them heal. I hope some of them are salvageable enough for us to make a difference in their lives but know many are already past help. Those will spend the rest of time until the breaking in Mandos Halls as the damage to their fëa is repaired."

"Does it have to be you?" Gildor asked quietly.

"It does," Elrond told them.

"I will also be going so Erestor and Gildor will be in charge," Glorfindel injected before they could begin a protest. "We will not be alone and this must be done."

The counselors did not like what they were being told but knew enough to not argue as it would do no good.

"We will need to build several new wings to the house," Gildor commented as he addressed another issue that had come up to deflect arguments. At Elrond's raised brow he continued. "The rumors of the fëa being here is out. Many who lost their elflings have made inquiries about coming here."

Elrond rose and went to the balcony as he thought about the situation. The other counselors thought he was just thinking but Erestor and Glorfindel knew better. There was a tale tell silvering of is eyes that told them he was communicating with someone. Finally, he returned to the table.

"Let none come here as of yet," he ordered. "We are still a target and I would not have these parents in danger. There may be spies among them. We also need time with the fëa to treat them. The fëa that are here in reborn form are only a small fraction of the total."

Seeing his counselors' confusion, he looked questioningly at Glorfindel who just shook his head no.

"They know not of the lower rooms," he finally acknowledged. "We did not tell them for fear that the enormity of the job they are undertaking would scare many of them away."

Elrond rolled his eyes and knew that they had left it up to him to explain the truth of the situation to everyone.

"The elflings you are presently taking care of are only a very small amount of the total that are here," he began. "Most of the fëa are in cavern rooms below us in healing sleeps until their turn to be reborn. You must realize that these fëa date all the way back to the Waters of Awaking. There are hundreds of thousands of them as they include the fëa of elfling Avari also."

There was a shocked silence as everyone took in what they were being told and they began to realize what they were being asked to do.

"Do we know how many of these fëa will not have parents somewhere waiting for the day they are released?" Erestor asked. "The Avari elflings will need to be housed until we find families to take them in."

"And what of the fëa whose parents refused the call to Mandos?" Gildor asked.

"They are also here and it has been decided that the fëa of those whose parents are unhoused will stay within our lands until they reach their majority," Glorfindel answered for Elrond. "The Avari elflings will be offered up for adoption to those who have no elflings of their own first, and others later."

"Build dormitories in the cliffs to the east of the healing halls," Elrond began as he considered everything. "Start with three and we can add more as we need. Begin building a large school also; one that can teach a variety of different specialties beyond the basics. Once the other realms have had a few years to establish themselves we will ask them to send teachers on a rotationally basis to assist us. I have also been assured that those of Aman will help when asked once everything settles. When the time is right and things are more settled, I have been assured that the elflings identities will be made known to us. As this is done, we will contact their parents to come for them."

"If that is how you plan to handle the fëa, we can start answering inquiries from parents with a message saying we will contact them when their elflings are ready to be picked up," Gildor said as he thought about how much easier that would be. Once the word was out that they were doing that, most parents would wait rather than bombard them with questions.

"Speaking of things settling," Erestor began as he took the opportunity to change the subject before they became too bogged down with specifics. "What of Ellaf?"

"He knows the location of New Imladris but not the other realms," Olórin injected into the conversation from his spot in the corner of the room. Elrond had not ordered him out in the beginning so he had decided to contribute when the time came. "Right now he is occupied with trying to take over the main Amanian realms from the three established Kings."

They were all shocked at the audacity of Ellaf's plans as they had thought he only wanted to change things, not take over and make himself supreme ruler.

"He will have to be dealt with," Elrond acknowledged. "But the fëa must come first."

"I wonder at the timing," Glorfindel began before stopping to think for a minute. "He is receiving some kind of help from the Dark Maiar."

"I suspected that much from conversations I overheard in the last few years," Elrond admitted. "It will make defeating him that much harder. I cannot worry about him now other than to tell you to be wary."

"I will take over seeing to the security of the valley with your second-in-command" Gildor told Glorfindel. "Let Lindir and others see to the fëa, and building the needed accommodations."

Elrond nodded in agreement then set their minds somewhat at ease. "I have already sent out a call for additional warriors to help protect the valley. The first should be arriving at the beginning of next week."

"Until then," Olórin injected, "a contingent of Eönwë's warriors will be stationed around the realm. Now, if you two are leaving in the morning, you must rest. Especially you Elrond as Eonwe plans to meet with you to discuss tactics before he leads another contingent of warriors to meet up with you two on your journey north."

"I am glad to see that the Valar are finally stepping up and not letting Elrond handle it all," Erestor commented to the laughter of many as they broke up.

Only Erestor and Olórin watched the next morning as the two faded into the surrounding woods as they left to go North to meet up with Eonwe and his troops.


End file.
